The Consequences of Flirting
by Joyce3
Summary: Warrick is sure that he's doing the right thing. Right? WS. The last chapter is up! Thank you all for reading this story.
1. In the break room

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting.

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are not mine. Go figure.

Note: This is the first chapter of my new story, which is of course W/S. The first chapter is a little short, I want to know if you guys like the premise of this story before I continue it. It takes place at the beginning of season six and Tina is in the picture but I did alter the story line a little bit for the benefit of my story and because I hate the original story line. I hope you guys enjoy it and I want to thank anyone who reviewed Better Memories, you guys took me over a hundred reviews, a first for me, and I was so happy with that! Thank you!

In the break room 

It was silent in the locker room and Warrick took comfort in that silence. His shift had been rough and all he wanted to do was go home, take a shower and sleep. He also wanted to see her. She would be there, in his home, and that thought still baffled him. He had done it, took the plunge and it both scared and excited him. He was startled by a sound coming from behind him and when he turned around he found his best friend watching him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You've been holding out on me, man," Nick reprimanded him but a hint of a smile was seen on his face.

Warrick grinned before he shrugged.

"Lab rumors got to you before I could?" he questioned and his friend just nodded, still standing there with his arms crossed, waiting for an explanation.

"It felt right, Nicky. After what happened to you..." he trailed of when he saw the expression on Nick's face. Talking about that night was not something they did often. Warrick still felt the guilt every time he saw his friend, he still saw him lying there covered in ants, he remembered the scared man he had consoled in that ambulance when they took him to the hospital and it weren't images that he would ever forget. People thought Nick was fine now but he knew, he saw what everybody else missed. On the outside his friend seemed fine but on the inside...Nick had lost his faith in people and Warrick didn't know how to fix that, wasn't sure that he could. He composed himself and forced a smirk on his face, carrying on with his story.

"Life is too short," he said while closing his locker. "And I like her, really like her. She makes me smile and she's fun. It felt right," he repeated.

Nick shook his head, hearing that the tall man was trying to convince himself.

"You've only known Tina for two months. Don't you think you're rushing this, already asking her to move in with you?"

Warrick just smiled, gave his co-worker a friendly pat on the shoulder and left the locker room.

"It will work out, bro," he told him before he left the room. "You'll see once you meet her, she's a gem."

Outside he sighed, once more reminding himself that he had done the right thing before he made his way trough the lab, seeing people looking at him as he went along. Apparently the news had traveled fast. He stopped when a grinning face appeared next to him and he steeled himself for another round of twenty questions.

"You've been the topic of discussion all day," Sara told him, not doing anything to hide the amusement that she felt.

He looked around him and saw that they were being watched by Greg and Lea, who pretended to look elsewhere while listening to their conversation. Delaying his shower and sleep somewhat longer he dragged Sara into the break room, closing the door behind him.

"Why is this lab so interested in my personal life?" he demanded to know from her once they were alone.

She shrugged.

"They just are," she said innocently, laughing a little. "I heard a lot of different versions today. Someone told me you were married, another one told me you had proposed to your girlfriend and I also heard that she had moved in with you. So, which version is the right one?"

He just held up three fingers while sitting down in a chair, running his hands trough his hair.

"The stories all had one thing in common though," Sara continued. "They all said that you broke Cath's heart."

That made him look up and she saw a flash of guilt in his eyes. Taking a seat on the table before him she sat right in front of him, real concern in her voice this time.

"Are you ok?" she asked her friend and he gave her a weak smile.

"I didn't think it would affect her this much," he admitted. "We talked about it today and she seemed...hurt. Told me that it sucked losing a fantasy."

"You're a hard fantasy to lose, Brown," Sara said and she saw the surprise on his face.

"You too?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer and he was relieved and a little hurt when she laughed, loud.

"No," she said, still laughing. "I managed to resist you charms but then again, you never flirt with me like you did with Cath."

He narrowed his eyes.

"I do flirt with you," he exclaimed, stopping to hear how bad that sounded and he laughed too. "Sometimes," he admitted once he stopped laughing.

Sara rolled her eyes.

"No, you don't. You've never flirted with me."

He glared at her.

"I did," he assured her. "It was subtle, I'll admit that but I did, you just never noticed because you were to busy gawking at your boss."

He felt satisfied when he saw her blush and leaned back in his chair, confident.

"But you would have noticed if I ever flirted with you for real," he said, a cocky smile on his face.

"Get real, Warrick," Sara said, laughing despite herself.

"You would," he told her again, leaning forward and he was suddenly very close, his green eyes staring into hers and suddenly the air got thicker and they were both silent, lost in each other for a while.

He was the first to jump up, confused at this sudden turn of events.

"Right," he mumbled. "I need to go home now, take a shower."

She jumped up too, looking flushed and just as confused.

"Right," she confirmed. "A shower sounds good..." She blushed bright red again when she realized what she said and he couldn't help the heated look he gave her. Something that he didn't plan to do but she looked so damn cute all red and flustered.

"I really gotta go," he said before he almost ran out of the room, leaving her behind.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered to herself, shaking her head in surprise.

Warrick decided that he needed to get out of the lab and he raced trough the lab not stopping before he was in his car.

"That was weird," he mumbled before he took off, coming home half an hour later to find his home filled with suitcases and a beaming woman in his living room.

"Hi," Tina said to him, a bright and happy smile on her face. "Welcome in _our_ home."

She approached him, wrapping her arms around him and he rested his head on top of her head, sighing.

"Tough shift?" she asked him and he just nodded trying to get the image of a laughing Sara out of his head.

"I'm glad I'm home," he told her, trying to convince himself yet again and when she kissed him he couldn't shake the image of Sara out if his head, no matter how hard he tried. Suddenly he was very scared...

Tbc...


	2. Breakfast, flirting and denial

Author:Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

Note: Thank you guys for your huge responses. I got 16 reviews in the last 24 hours for a short first chapter which is just amazing. This second chapter was already done but I wanted to wait until I knew if you guys liked this story idea, I guess you do. I made up Tina's last name for this chapter, coming up with Harris because Xander was my favorite Buffy character. Yes, I'm weird. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, I know I had a blast writing it and please don't hesitate to tell me what you think of it, good or bad.

Breakfast, flirting and denial

Two days later Warrick walked through the lab, trying to find Nick. During the last days he had fixed his problem, the incident with Sara almost forgotten. He had decided that it had been a fluke, nothing more and now he planned to spend a relaxed morning at home with his best friend and his girl. He finally located Nick, talking to Greg in the break room and he entered without knocking, startling them both.

"We were not talking about you," Greg immediately told him and Warrick just stared at him, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Ok," he said, shrugging while turning to Nick. "What are you doing after shift?"

"Nothing much," the slightly younger man replied. "I kinda promised that..."

He was cut of by Warrick who was eager to invite his friend.

"Come to my place," he demanded. "Tina has the night shift today, we'll have breakfast and you can meet her."

Nick smiled. "I finally get to meet the mystery woman?" he asked. "That sounds interesting but I kinda had plans with Sara after shift, I promised I'd buy her breakfast. Do you mind if she tags along?"

Warrick, who was on his way to the coffee machine, stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to his friend.

"Sara?" he managed to choke out and Nick just nodded. "Yeah, the more the merrier, right?" he said, obviously not getting what the fuss was all about.

Warrick plastered a fake grin on his face.

"Right," he agreed, his morning suddenly not so relaxed anymore.

"See you after shift," the Texan CSI told his friend before he left the break room to meet up with Grissom in the DNA-lab. "Bye, Greggo."

Greg just waved, more interested in observing Warrick, who hadn't moved from his spot by the coffee machine.

"What was that all about?" he finally asked and he saw Warrick spin around, a defensive look on his face.

"That was nothing, Greg," he told him firmly and he wanted to leave the room when the voice of the younger man stopped him.

"You flinched, bro," Greg helpfully explained to him. "Nicky said that Sara was coming with him and you flinched."

"I did not," Warrick replied immediately, shaking his head to emphasize his point.

"Whatever," the young man mumbled before he continued in a sarcastic matter. "And thanks for inviting me too, that was very flattering but I already have plans."

The dark man gave him an goofy smile, obviously embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Sanders," he explained. "It's not that I don't want you there but I don't want to overwhelm Tina by bringing the whole lab home. You'll meet her soon, I promise."

"I'll take you up on that promise," the former DNA-analyst told him and Warrick just grinned before he swung open the door and walked out, more then a little worried about the relaxed breakfast he planned to have after shift.

Sara walked into trace, steeling herself for a meeting with Hodges but to her relief he was nowhere to be found.

"Score one for me today," she said triumphantly to herself. She had put the incident with Warrick behind her, deciding that it had been temporary insanity and it would never happen again. She suddenly heard a sound behind her and sighed, turning around and preparing herself for Hodges but it was Nick standing in the doorway.

"Change of plans, Sar," he informed her. "We're having breakfast a Rick's place and get to meet the infamous Tina."

Sara just blinked. "At Warrick's?" she asked and Nick nodded, already moving along. "Yep," was the last thing she heard him say.

"And score two sucks," she whispered to herself, not believing her own bad luck.

Several hours later Sara found herself standing in front of a familiar house, Nick beaming beside her.

"I wonder what she's like," he pondered and Sara gave him a weak smile.

"Yeah," she said, sounding not at all interested. "Me too."

Her friend had already knocked on the door however and they were greeted by Warrick, who had changed into simple jeans and a t-shirt for the occasion.

"Come on in, bro," he warmly greeted Nick but he became uncomfortable when he noticed his co-worker behind his friend.

"Hey," he said awkwardly and she gave a small wave. "Hey," was the even more awkward reply.

Nick just frowned at their odd behavior and shoved his friend inside, eager to meet his girlfriend. He was greeted by a tiny, gorgeous lady with chocolate colored skin and bouncy curls and Nick immediately liked her.

"Hi," he said politely, extending his hand to her. "I'm Nick Stokes."

She took his hand and shook it. "Tina Harris," she clarified for him before her eyes turned to the tall brunette standing next to Warrick. "And you must be Sara," she assumed with a friendly smile on her face and Sara couldn't help but smile back before she confirmed that she was.

The next half hour was spent with them talking and getting to know each other, an opportunity Nick took to ask as many questions as he could, something that seemed to amuse Tina to no end, when finally Warrick stood up.

"I better prepare breakfast," he announced and Nick perked up when food was mentioned.

"Ask Sara to make her scrambled eggs," he suggested. "They're great."

Sara waved the compliment away.

"They're not that special, I'm sure Warick doesn't need me hovering around in the kitchen."

"Oh c'mon, Sar," Nicky half whined, a comical expression on his face. "Do it for me, please?" and he bashed his eyelashes at her, which send Tina into a fit of laughter.

"Fine," the tall woman mumbled, getting up while avoiding Warrick's eyes and the two of them made their way to the kitchen.

After pointing out where Sara could find everything she needed an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Warrick was busy making some orange juice while she was stirring in the pan, all her attention focused on her eggs.

"We need to talk," he finally announced and she barely looked up. "Ok," she just agreed.

"Look, Sara," Warrick began. "I'm sorry for what happened the other day. I didn't mean to embarrass you and I promise it will never happen again. Can we just forget about it?"

She looked up from her eggs, giving him a small smile.

"I'd like that," she admitted and he let out a sigh of relief. "Good," he just said, walking over to her and looking into the pan.

"So," he said, teasing her. "Stokes knows about your breakfast specialities." He stopped to waggle his eyebrows. "What's that all about?"

She narrowed her eyes, giving him a glare.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Rick. He had breakfast at my place a couple of times, it was no big deal."

"Oh really?" he drawled. "You never made me breakfast."

She was busy stirring in her pan when she announced;

"I must like Nick better then."

Warrick placed his hand on his heart, pretending to be in pain.

"That hurts, Sidle," he exclaimed dramatically.

She laughed, taking her pan of the heat and asking him for a bowl. She carefully scooped her eggs up from the pan and wanted to transport them to the bowl when she was startled by Warrick turning on the orange juicer and the eggs fell on the floor, immediately followed by her swearing. He smiled and made his way towards her, helping her clean up the mess.

"This is your fault," she announced and he stopped helping her. "Really?" he asked her, "And in what way am I responsible for your clumsiness?"

"You turned on that damn juicer," she told him with a pissed off look on her face.

"And you're the one who dropped the damn pan," he retorted, getting annoyed, his face inches from hers.

She looked up to yell something back when it suddenly dawned on her that they were inches apart and he had that look again, the one that had made her melt last time and was doing the same thing now. They held each others gaze for a while and Warrick smiled, which made her heart flutter and that was it.

"Stop that!" she half screamed, getting up as fast as she could and he followed her.

"Stop what?" he wanted to know.

"Stop flirting with me," she quitely announced, remembering his girlfriend only a room away from them.

He had an indignant expression on his face and when he spoke she could hear barely contained frustration;

"You're flirting with _me_," he said in a matter of fact kind of way.

"Are you kidding me with this, Brown?" she hissed. "You almost jumped me!"

"Jumped you?" he hissed back. "Get over yourself, Sidle."

She turned around and stormed out of the kitchen, startling both Nick and Tina who were talking in the living room.

"Warrick made the eggs fell and I'm not staying in the kitchen with that man," she announced, sounding like a child, while Warrick stormed after her, hearing her last words.

"It's not my fault that pan fell! You were the one holding it, I wasn't even near it," he yelled back just as childishly and Tina got up to calm him down.

"Stop that," she told the both of them and they both calmed down somewhat while still glaring at each other.

"You always act on impulse," Sara told him calmly, starting things up again. "And that is what gets you into trouble."

He glared at her even more, hearing her hidden comment in the accusation.

"And you always think and think and think some more. You don't even realize when you're acting on impulse because your brain doesn't even know that the function excists."

Sara stood up.

"You can stick your breakfast where the sun doesn't shine, I'm going home," she told him before she grabbed her jacket.

"Good plan," Warrick said, walking to the door and opening it. "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

She stopped, getting into his face.

"You are such a baby," she hissed before she left.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, slamming the door behind her and when he turned around both Nick and Tina were looking at him in shock.

"What the hell was that, man?" Nick demanded to know.

Warrick shrugged.

"That was nothing, you know she gets on my nerves sometimes. Let's just eat."

Nick followed him into the kitchen, a confused look on his face, one that was matched by Tina.

Meanwhile, outside, Sara was still boiling on the inside.

"Me flirting with you," she whispered with barely contained resentment. "I'll show who's the one flirting here, Brown..."

Tbc...


	3. We have a problem

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Even in 2006 they're not mine.

Note: This is my new years gift to you guys. I had this chapter stored in my computer and I decided to upload it today so I could wish you all a happy new year to go along with it. It's not a very long chapter but I promise to make up for that in the next one. As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best! And please continue to review, it makes my muse write faster.

We have a problem

The next day Grissom walked into the break room, ready to give assignments to his crew. He walked into a tense atmosphere. Warrick was leaning in a corner, his arms crossed over his chest while Sara was sitting in a chair, her back to Warrick, an angry scowl on her face. Catherine sat beside her, studying her nails, casting a glance at Warrick every so often. Nick and Greg were standing next to each other, talking softly about some show they both saw on TV that day. He cleared his throat and they all looked up.

"We have a busy night," Grissom announced. "Cath, you and Warrick have a homicide in the Tangiers."

Catherine raised her hand.

"Could I team up with someone else? My and Warrick have some...we have some problems right now."

Her boss frowned.

"Some problems?" he asked and she just nodded, a pleading look in her eyes. He relented, making a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Fine," he continued. "You work the case with Nick. Greg, you're with me, I'll fill you in on the case later. Sara, you and Warrick have a robbery."

"I'm not working with that man," Sara said stubbornly. Grissom turned to his protege, a questioning look on his face but Warrick just raised both his hands in defense.

"Don't ask, Griss," he commented sarcastically. "You know I have a way with the ladies."

Sara rolled her eyes and huffed and Warrick narrowed his eyes in response, trying to stare a whole in her back.

"And what is the problem between you guys?" Grissom asked, getting a bit annoyed.

"Warrick made the eggs fall," Nick provided helpfully and this was the point where Grissom was getting confused and had enough.

"I don't care who made whose eggs fall," he said somewhat harshly. "You guys are working together, you are both adults and this is not a playground. Do I make myself clear?"

They both nodded reluctantly.

"Good," Grissom said, wondering what the hell was wrong with his co-workers. "Now get to work."

He watched them all leave the room, Sara and Warrick barely looking at each other.

"And behave yourself," he warned them both.

Outside, Sara slammed the door of the car while getting in but Warrick didn't even flinch.

"Why are you driving?" she asked him.

"We both know you can't handle stick very well," he said dryly, challenging her.

"You're a pig, Brown," she told him with a disgusted look on her face.

He just drove off, silence in the car. A couple of hours later they had managed to work the case professionally. Only talking to each other when necessary but doing their job like they always did. They were now on their way to the interrogation room where the victim of the robbery was waiting for them. Warrick was the first to walk in, Sara right behind him.

"I'm Warrick Brown," he told the woman while giving a nod in the direction of Sara. "And this is Sara Sidle, we're from the crime lab."

"Warrick, huh?" the woman said, her eyes traveling over his body. "That's an unusual name but it suits you. It sounds strong, sexy even."

He said down, ignoring the woman while Sara mumbled something under her breath.

"Always with the flirting," he heard her whisper.

"Thank you," he told the woman politely, not even looking at Sara. "So, you claim you came back in your suite and the door was open. It was then you discovered your safe had been broken into?"

"Yes," the blonde woman said. "They took my diamond collier and I just got it. My husband bought it for me."

"Right," Sara took over. "And the collier was worth what? A million dollars?"

"Yes," she confirmed, smiling at Warrick. "You know what they say; diamonds are a girls best friend. Have you ever bought diamonds for your girlfriend, mister Brown?"

"No," he said shortly wanting to continue the interrogation but she interrupted him. "That's ok," she half whispered to him, leaning forward to show much of her cleavage. "I'm sure you more then make up for it."

"Getting back to the topic at hand," Sara said, half grumbling. "Do you know this man?"

She showed her a picture of a man standing in an elevator.

"No," the woman said, still not taking her eyes of Warrick. "Why? Is that the jerk that stole it?"

"Maybe," Sara just said and the woman stood up. "If you guys excuse me, I need to make a phone call to my insurance company. Can I go?"

Sara and Warrick both nodded.

"I was nice meeting you, mister Warrick Brown," she said before she left the room, casting one last glance over her shoulder, giving him a smile.

"Great," Sara half shouted. "We know she made her boyfriend steel those diamonds but thanks to you she walks."

"Thanks to me?" he questioned, raising both his eyebrows.

"Yes. You," she clarified again. "You and your flirting." She imitated him, bashing her eyelashes while speaking in a deep tone. "Hi, I'm Warrick Brown and I'm here to dazzle you with my good looks. Please, be smitten."

"Have you gone completely crazy?" he wanted to know from her, getting up. "The woman was flirting with me and she was doing it because she knows we have no prove she did it."

"Right," Sara mumbled. "Everybody always flirts with you. It's never your fault, you're just an innocent bystander."

"Do you really want to start this discussion again?" he asked her somewhat weary.

"Yes," she told him. " I really want that, because you know what? You were flirting with _me_ yesterday."

He sighed.

"You really need to see a shrink," he then advised her. "Because crazy and delusional, not a good combination."

"You were," she persisted, deliberately taking a step towards him.

"I was _not_," he said again, with emphasis on the last word.

"You were," came the reply and she took another step closer.

"I was not flirting with you!" he replied but his voice became a little husky when he suddenly saw the little distance between them and she saw the familiar look appear in his eyes. That look. The one that had been haunting her for days now, the first thing she saw when she closed her eyes. His hand reached up and he brushed some hair out of her face and her eyes closed, relishing in his touch before she remembered what her mission was.

"There," she shouted, startling him and she stepped away from him. "This is my prove, _you_ are flirting with _me_."

She had a triumphant grin on her face but his voice was calm when he replied;

" Maybe, but it took you an awful long time to step away and yell."

She blinked, the grin somewhat disappearing.

"You don't get it, Sidle," Warrick told her. "We have a problem and it's not you flirting with me or me flirting with you. We are flirting with _each other_."

The grin was completely gone now and when he walked away from her she had a frown on her face, looking lost and confused.

"That's the problem," he reminded her again, leaving the room, his last words surrounding her. "And we need to find a way to fix that."

Tbc...


	4. Making and breaking the rules

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: I do not own Warrick and Sara, I'm just borrowing them for a while. It's fun playing with them : )

Note: I want to thank my lovely reviewers, as always you guys rock! I absolutely adore you all. And yes, I would do anything to get more reviews ; ) And another thing, I would make to announce, yet again, that in this story Warrick and Tina are NOT married. They moved in together but that's it. Everybody up to speed with that? Good! Now enjoy the chapter!

Making and breaking the rules

"I've got it," Sara announced, stepping into the lab where she found Warrick studying a shoe print.

He looked up, a hint of a smile on his face.

"You cracked the case?"

"No," she said, dismissing that option with a wave of her hand. "I've got the solution to _our _problem."

"Oh," he mumbled, his face turning serious in a split second. "What is it?"

Sara sat down on the other side of the table, taking out a note book.

"I made some rules," she told him proudly and he just raised his eyebrows in wordless confusion.

"You see," she carried on, ignoring his stare that told her he thought she was crazy. "We get into trouble when we get to close to each other so I made some rules to prevent that."

Warrick actually smiled by now, amused to no end.

"You made rules to prevent us from being to close to each other?"

She just nodded, a look on her face that spelled 'duh' and when he opened his mouth again she silenced him, opening up her notebook and reading her rules.

"Rule one," she said, sounding like she was listing some evidence she found in a case. "We make sure there is always a respectable distance between us."

Warrick raised his hand, feeling like he was in a classroom again.

"What do you define under 'respectable distance'?" he asked her, getting up and taking a step towards her.

"Is this respectable?" he questioned and she looked at her notes before she replied; "Yes, we can manage that."

"Ok," he nodded, taking another step closer. "How about this?"

She became uncomfortable, he could see that but he was having to much fun right now.

"That's respectable too, I guess.." she mumbled, getting confused and trying to find the answer in her notes, like they were going to save her.

"Good," Warrick smirked, taking another step closer and he was inches away from her, laughing green eyes in front of her.

"That's not respectable anymore," she whispered, trying to regain her composure and she was relieved when he walked back to his seat.

"I think I got it," he told her with a wink and she shook her head in annoyance, reading her second rule;

"Rule number two: We don't look each other directly in the eyes since that leads to trouble."

His eyes widened in shock and he deliberately stared into hers.

"So this is wrong then?" he asked her. "So, how are we going to have conversations if we're not allowed to look each other in the eyes?"

"Aha!" she said, raising her finger in a manner that suggested that she had the answer.

"Rule three: We don't talk unless it's work related."

He shook his head in a desperate manner.

"This is ridiculous, Sar," he whispered, forgetting rule number two when he looked at her.

Her voice lost some of the confidence he had heard in it before.

"We have to do this, Rick," she almost begged him. "Please, work with me here."

He slowly nodded before he averted his eyes from hers, looking at a spot in the corner of the room.

"Any other rules?" he then asked her.

"Yes," she confirmed, reading her last note. " The last rule: We are not allowed to touch each other."

"But.." Warrick began, still not looking at her. "What if you're in a threatening situation and I have to push you away or carry you in order to save you, is that allowed?"

"Yes," she said after thinking about it for a while. "I guess that's allowed. But we only touch each other in life threatening situations."

"Ok," he agreed with her, feeling like a big idiot sitting here like this, having a conversation with someone he was not allowed to look in the eyes. He sighed, not knowing what else to say and he heard her chair move which indicated that she was about to leave.

"Sar, wait," he pleaded and the emotion in his voice affected her more then she had thought possible. Why was it that Warrick Brown could affect her with only his voice now? What the hell was changing between them? His next statement brought her back to reality.

"How long are we going to have to follow these rules?" he asked her and she turned around despite her better judgement, forcing him to look at her.

"Until we fix this," she told him, reminding Warrick of what he told her in that interrogation room only hours before and he gave her a small smile.

"Bye, Sidle," he said to her, not looking at her anymore because there was something in her eyes that both confused and scared him.

"Bye," she replied, walking away from him before she forgot all about her self imposed rules.

Several days later Sara found herself in the break room, ready to go home after having just finished a case and a shift. When the door opened she didn't need to turn around to see who it was, she felt it. Whenever he was near her she would feel it before she saw him.

"Hey, Rick," she greeted him and he walked past her, opening up his own locker which was right next to hers.

"Hey," he said, avoiding her eyes and making sure that he kept a respectable distance.

"So, how's Tina?" she asked him and she saw him tense up.

"She fine, working the nightshift," he told her in a casual manner, one that sounded fake to the both of them.

"Good," she said while nodding, the same tone in her voice.

She was about to leave when his voice stopped her and she stayed where she was, her back to him.

"Sara, do you really think these rules are working?" he demanded to know from her and she took a deep breath before she replied in a serious tone.

"They must work, War. They have to," she told him, sounding desperate and it took all his self control to not walk over to her and turn her around so he could see her. At least see her, the absence of her had been driving him crazy. She was there, working with him, in the same room with him but she never really was. She was almost like a ghost, one that he couldn't see and never touch.

"I hate them," he announced with venom. "I hate these stupid rules and the fact that Tina has no idea what is going on. I hate the fact that I come home every single day and kiss her while I see you in my head. I hate the fact that I tell myself to stop thinking about you but nothing works. I hate this and these idiot rules are not doing anything to make it easier!"

His voice became louder with every word that came out of his mouth and during his speech she had turned around, unable to stop herself, needing to see him. She had missed them, those eyes that were looking at her now. Full of frustration and anger and something else, something that made her heart beat faster while her mind screamed at her to turn around and forget about him.

"I hate this too," she finally admitted, the words leaving her mouth despite of her own inner objections.

"I hate that I don't see my buddy Warrick anymore," she continued, a tired slump in her shoulders, one that told him that she had fought the same battle that he had fought the last couple of days and like him, she had lost. "I hate that you're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and that I actually miss you while you're standing right next to me because of these retarted rules that I invented. But most of all I hate that we can't stop this."

Her voice became a whisper and she took one step towards him.

"Why can't we stop this, Rick?" she asked him and he matched her movement, standing so close to her now that he could feel the heat radiating from her body.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "I do know that we're breaking rule one and two."

That got a little smile out of her but she kept his gaze, made no move to distance herself from him. "We're also breaking rule three," she pointed out. "This is in no way work related."

"Not really, huh?" he asked her, tucking some hair behind her ear and she leaned into his caress while shaking her head to answer his question.

"This is wrong," she told him, trying to convince the both of them.

"I know," he said, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he really did know.

"Right," she confirmed and for a while neither of them moved.

"Right," he finally replied and he was about to step away when she stopped him.

"I'm about to break rule four," she told him and she could see that he understood what she was trying to say but he stayed where he was, did not move away from her and she gave in to her emotions. She let herself feel for once because this was stronger then her mind. Stronger then everything she ever felt before.

Warrick knew that he was in trouble, he knew that he had to get away but his feet didn't move. His eyes never left hers and when her face neared his he did nothing to stop her. He allowed her to kiss him.

Tbc...


	5. This has to stop

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: I'm still borrowing them but I'm not really sure if I'll ever return Gary.

Note: As always, your replies to this story warm my heart. I still can't believe that you people actually read my stories and like them. I can't tell you how much that means to me, no matter how many times I try to explain it to you guys. So again, I would like to thank each and everyone of you who reviewed. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter : )

This has to stop

As soon as her lips touched his all thoughts flew out of his head except for one, one that kept repeating itself like a mantra; _I'm kissing Sara, I'm kissing Sara. _Her lips were soft and gentle, exploring his in a tentative manner and he surrendered to her, participating in the kiss while pulling her closer, the mantra still going strong in his head. And then, just like that, his brain caught up with his body. _I'm kissing Sara! _He released her while panting slightly, taking a big step away from her, away from those lips and the feel of her body against his.

"Tina..." he whispered and that one word was enough to bring them both back to reality. He saw a flicker of pain flash in her eyes and then she sat down, covering her face in her hands. He just stayed where he was, hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do.

"I'm so sorry, Warrick," she finally told him, taking a chance and looking up at him. She was relieved to see that there was no anger to be found in his eyes, just confusion and a whole lot of pain.

"I didn't exactly push you away," Warrick said dryly but the attempt to lighten the mood fell flat on the both of them.

"I know but..." Sara began, running her hands trough her hair. "I don't know what got into me. This is not something I usually do, I never let my feelings take over and..."

She was cut of when he sat down next to her and took her hand, squeezing it lightly.

"This was not your fault," he tried to convince her. "You started the kiss but..."

He paused, lifting her chin up with his finger.

"You have no idea how much I wanted you to kiss me, Sara," he told her and she gave him a small, shaky, smile.

He sighed, getting up to put some distance between them because he didn't trust himself while being so close to her and this had gone far enough.

"I made the mistake here," he admitted. "I let you kiss me, I never did anything to stop the flirting, I allowed you to shake up my life and I never once thought about the girl that is sitting in my house as we speak, waiting for me to come home to her."

"Tina," Sara said flatly, studying her hands. "Do you love her?" she asked him and he shrugged.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "But I do know that she doesn't deserve this and neither do you."

Sara stood up, standing in front of him but keeping her distance.

"So, now what?" she demanded to know from him.

His expression was serious and she recognized some of the dedication in it that he usually only had for his job.

"We stop this, Sara," he said, his voice steady and sure. "We stop this without rules or any other tricks. This can't go on any longer. I won't do it anymore."

She said nothing, wondering why it hurt so much to stand here while hearing him say those words.

"I need to give Tina a chance," Warrick told her with a sigh. "I owe her that," he concluded in a small whisper, hoping that she would understand.

He wanted to leave the room when she stopped him, her voice a whisper of her own and he could hear the hurt in it.

"And what do you owe me?" she asked him, turning around to face him.

Warrick had to restrain himself from going over to her and kissing her again, knowing that he couldn't.

"I owe you a better friendship," he said with a smile, not knowing where he found that smile because he felt very much like crying. "You need a friend, Sidle, and that's what I'll be."

""Friends?" she repeated, imagining a life in which she was just friends with him again, somehow failing.

"Friends," he confirmed, the words painful to pronounce but he carried on anyway.

"I can do friends," Sara assured him with a fake smile on her face and she saw his smile of relief in return, one that warmed her even now.

"Good," he said, leaving her behind because he couldn't stand to be around her any longer without doing something that would get them both into more trouble. He had made the right decision he told himself. He was with Tina now and Sara...She was Sara, his co-worker, his friend. It would have to be enough, even if it would kill him.

Back in the locker room Sara slumped down on the bench that was standing behind her, a single tear rolling down her cheek. This was right she told herself. He was in a relationship with another woman and he was her co-worker, her friend. "It will work out," she said out loud, hoping that it would help somehow. Finally she stood up and brushed her tears away, trying very hard to forget about his lips on hers while making her way home.

* * *

Warrick came home half an hour later to find Tina in the kitchen, her back to him. She turned around when she heard him and he couldn't help but see another woman in his kitchen. Couldn't help that he thought about another smile greeting him.

"Hi," Tina greeted him and he waved back.

"How was your shift?" he asked her and she replied in an cheerful tone; "The usual, a lot of sick people but we managed to make a whole lot of lives better."

"That's good," he replied, hardly hearing her but he did look up when she sighed.

"What it is?" he asked her.

"Us," she said with a sad look in her eyes. "It's us...I...I don't think that I love you enough."

He furrowed his brows, confused at the sudden turn of events.

"What do you mean, you don't love me enough?"

Tina walked out of the kitchen, sitting down on the couch while he took a seat next to her.

"I came out of a very controlling relationship when I met you," she began. "And when we first hooked up it was fun and exciting and I vowed that I would be free, that I would follow my instincts and live in the moment for once."

"Because you only live once," Warrick said with a small smile, one that she returned.

"Right," she confirmed. "So when you asked me to move in with you I was...It was the ultimate chance to show everyone that I had changed, that I was living life my way for once. But I never once thought about us, I never asked myself if we're right for each other."

"And now you're thinking we're not? he said in a friendly manner.

"We have fun," she told him with a fond expression on her face. "And you're hot and so very kind but..." She trailed of and looked at him. "Do you love me?" she asked him and he remembered that Sara had asked him the same question only an hour before.

He shrugged, not really knowing how to answer.

"It's ok, Warrick," Tina told him gently. "I was having the same problem, I kept asking myself if I loved you and I always doubted myself. And today I saw this couple in the hospital that were head over heals in love with each other and it suddenly dawned on me that I don't feel that way about you, no matter how hard I try because you're everything that I always thought I could love."

"Right back at ya," Warrick said, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"You don't love me either," she said, making a statement not asking a question.

"I really wish I could," he told her and she nodded. "Me too."

They were silent, both lost in their own worlds.

"So, now what?" Tina asked him and Warrick smiled, the image of Sara popping up in his head again, not that she was ever really gone.

"You can stay here as long as you like," he said to her. "I asked you to come live here and I will not kick you out."

Tina studied her hands.

"I never gave up my old apartment," she eventually admitted and he raised his eyebrows.

"You never gave us a chance, did you?" he asked her but his tone was light, indicating that he was teasing her.

"I had some doubts from the start," she told him with a grin.

"Me too," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards him in a friendly hug.

"I'm still glad that I met you," he said. "You're a great person and an even better friend."

She glanced up at him.

"Right back at ya."

They sat like that for a long time, contemplating the future and slowly a smile formed on Warrick's lips. He was free now and so was she and while she had thought that he was flirting with her before... He hoped that Sara would know what she was in for because Warrick decided that it was time to let the real flirting begin.

Tbc...


	6. Let the flirting begin

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: I don't own them. And sadly, I don't own Gary either.

Note: what can I tell you guys? First of all, thanks for your kind reviews, it was very much appreciated. It's good to see that people are getting into this story and making suggestions. I really love it so please don't stop! Secondly..well, I've got no second point to be honest, except for this one: Thanks again for reading my story and keep those reviews coming!

Let the flirting begin

Nick entered the break room the next day, finding Warrick with a huge grin on his face.

"What has gotten you so happy, bro?" he asked while he poured himself some coffee, interested in anything that could make his friend this happy.

"Me and Tina broke up," his friend announced in a tone that suggested that is was the best news ever.

"What?" Nick said, sounding shocked and he turned around to see Warrick on the same spot, still with that ridiculous grin on his face while nodding contently. "Why is that good news?" Nick wanted to know, really not getting why anybody would let Tina go and be happy about it.

"She doesn't love me," the dark man told him calmly and Nick gave up at that point and just stared at him blankly. "I don't love her either, bro," Warrick helpfully explained but the confused look remained on his friend's face.

"What the hell happened?" Nicky finally managed to choke out and the other man shrugged before he answered;

"We were both looking for some excitement in our lives. After everything that happened...I don't know... I guess you can say we wanted to live for once and for a while we found that in each other. But in the end we both neglected the fact that we're not in love with each other, no matter how hard we try."

"So," Nick said, trying to grasp the information while asking a question he was just curious about. "Now she's a friend you have sex with?"

"No," the taller man replied, trying very hard not to laugh. "She's a friend I _had_ sex with. As in past tense."

"You two are really over?" Nick asked again and when his friend just nodded he continued; "Ok, but why the hell are you so happy about it?"

Warrick wanted to answer when the door opened and Sara walked in, not even looking at him.

"Hey, girl," he said cheerfully, giving her his best smile and she raised her eyebrows responding with a small wave before she turned to the other man in the room.

"We have a robbery uptown, you coming?"

She left the room before he could answer, not paying any attention to Warrick anymore and Nick followed her, turning back to his co-worker one last time.

"We'll talk later," he told his friend, the look on his face indicating that he still wanted to know a lot more and Warrick nodded, his smile disappearing once the door closed behind Nick.

"This is going to be harder then I thought," he mumbled before the smile came back. "Oh well, I better double my efforts then..."

* * *

Outside Nick turned to the woman walking beside him, who was being awfully quiet today.

"Have you heard?" he asked, hoping that some good old gossip would cheer her up and she looked up at him.

"Heard what?" she responded, knowing that Nick was gonna tell her anyway but he liked it when she showed some form of interest in his gossip.

Nick looked around the parking lot, making sure that nobody saw them before he whispered in her ear;

"Warrick and Tina broke up."

He pulled back with a satisfied look on his face, wanting to see her reaction but there was nothing, she just stood there. Her face a blank mask.

"They what?" she eventually questioned and he repeated it again. "They broke up."

Still no reaction, Sara didn't move at all and he was starting to worry about her when a frown appeared on her face, quickly followed by something that looked very much like rage and she turned around.

"That asshole," he heard her mutter and she shoved him aside, walking back to the building with short, angry steps.

"Where are you going?" he yelled after her and she never looked back when she replied; "I'll meet you at the scene. I've got someone I need to talk to first."

Then she was inside and he stood there, alone in the parking lot.

"What just happened?" he whispered to himself, getting into his car and looking back at the building he worked in one last time before he drove off.

* * *

Sara stormed through the lab, never stopping to greet the people she worked with for over five years now. When she reached the break room she opened the door with such force that both Grissom and Warrick jumped up.

"Sara?" her boss said, "What has gotten into you?"

She didn't even look at him, her eyes fixed on Warrick, who had overcome his initial shock and was smiling at her in a way that she had only seen once before. When she caught him flirting with Mia. The thought intensified her anger and she finally registered her boss.

"Could you give me and Warrick a minute?" she asked and Grissom frowned. "Is this about eggs again?" he then wanted to know and that got a grin out of her.

"No," she told him. "It's not, trust me."

Grissom looked at both his protegees eventually deciding to leave them alone, sensing that they had a lot to talk about. "You make this quick," he warned Sara. "You both have cases you need to work on. You work this stuff out and you get to your crime scenes."

Both nodded, Warrick still with a big smile on his face. When the door closed behind Grissom, Sara turned around faster then he could register.

"You are such a jerk," she told him and he blinked, the smile vanishing.

"I'm sorry? What?" he asked her, a bit confused by the anger he could see in her eyes.

She started pacing the room and he could sense that she was getting angrier by the minute.

"You told me we were friends yesterday!" she almost screamed and he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"We are," he said in a soothing tone, one that didn't help much because she was in his face now, actually shoving him.

"You made me cry last night," she confessed, while giving him a shove. "You made me accept that we're friends!" Another shove. "I didn't sleep at all because I couldn't get that kiss out of my head..." There was no shove this time, all he could see was pain and this was the point where he knew without a doubt in his mind that he was in love with her. _He was in love with her. _The thought overwhelmed him and he just stared at her while she turned around, some of the fury gone.

"I spend all night trying to come to term with the fact that we're friends and then I walk in here and you..."

She paused, looking at him with eyes that were filled with confusion, anger and something he could only hope was love.

"And you give me a big flirty smile," she finished.

"I'm sorry?" Warrick said lamely, his brain still not caught up with the situation.

"Yeah," Sara answered, sarcasm in place. "I'm sure it's hearthbreaking when the first rebound girl you turn to after a breakup turns you down."

He blinked, slowly processing what she said and then he cursed Nick in his mind.

"Stokes told you," he realized and she just nodded.

"What did you think, Rick?" she wanted to know from him. "You thought that you could just move on to the next girl that was waiting in line?"

"No!" he said, his voice sounding a little harder then he intended to.

"No?" Sara repeated his words. "So, I was what then? Available maybe, since Tina dumped your sorry ass?"

She knew she had crossed a line when anger flared up in his eyes.

"You really think I could use you like that?" he asked her in a low whisper, barely constrained anger behind the question.

"No," she told him again. "Because I won't let you. You made your choice last night when you decided that you owed Tina something that you obviously didn't owe me."

"You don't get it, Sara," he said with a sigh, wanting to explain it to her but she interrupted him.

"I understand it just fine, Rick," she almost hissed. "But it's not gonna work, I'm not some substitute for Tina so you better stop whatever you had planned."

She gave him one last angry look.

"It's not gonna work!" she reminded him again.

She walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving him alone in the room.

"Ok," he mumbled, a look of bewilderment on his face. "So, obviously doubling my efforts is not going to be enough..."

Tbc..


	7. The truth about roses

Author: Joyce

Titel: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Yes, I own Warrick and Sara. You don't believe me? Well, you shouldn't.

Note: As always the responses to this story has been huge and I want to thank each and every one of you who reviewed. I hope you guys know that I get a smile on my face every time I get one of these lovely reviews. So, let's keep them flowing my way and I hope you enjoy reading this because I really had fun writing it.

The truth about roses

"What the hell are these?" Sara wanted to know as she stormed into the locker room, where Warrick was talking with Greg about a case they were working on.

"Roses," Warrick stated dryly while Greg was watching them with an amused expression on his face.

"I don't want them," she told him and Warrick just shrugged before he asked her; "Why are you telling me this?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Brown," was her reply and out of the corner of his eyes he could see Greg shaking with laughter. He turned to the younger man, giving him a look that immediately stopped the laughter and Greg decided that this was a good time to leave the room while still unharmed.

"Right," he said to the two people in the room. "Is that Grissom I hear calling? I better check to make sure. Why yes, it is him. Bye now."

He almost ran out of the room and Warrick watched him go, a smirk on his face.

"You scare him on purpose," Sara told him accusingly and he rolled his eyes, giving her his full attention.

"No, I don't," he lied. "I just know which buttons to push when it comes to Sanders."

"Pffff," she huffed and she looked so cute that he gave her a smile, something that only intensified her annoyance. "You give him the patented Warrick death-glare and you know he'll do anything for you."

"And how is that different from that little smile that you give him anytime _you_ want something from him?" he asked innocently and he knew he won when she blushed and started waving the roses in his face again.

"That is not the point," she clarified, changing the subject. "The point is that you sent me these roses and I don't want them!"

Warrick just shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Those are not from me," he told her calmly and he watched her blink, spotted something on her face that looked a hell of a lot like disappointment.

"What?" she asked him, sounding a bit confused and his smile returned, no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

"You're cute when you're disappointed," he said to her, intensifying his comment with a wink and he was pleasantly surprised when she blushed yet again.

"I am not disappointed," she hissed at him, trying to convince both him and herself. "And you're a liar, these have to be yours."

Warrick leaned in, noticing that she didn't seem to mind.

"I would never do anything as cheesy as sending a woman roses," he whispered in her ear and Sara shivered when she felt the warmth of his breath on her face. "Believe me," he continued, "they are not mine." He pressed a short kiss on her cheek and pulled back, seeing a mixture of anger and lust in her eyes.

He grabbed his jacket, deciding that he had given her enough to think about and turned to her one last time.

"But it seems like you've got a secret admirerer, Sidle."

"You jealous?" she inquired, challenging him and he laughed. "No," he then told her. "Why would I be? You're going to be mine and you know it."

Her anger returned.

"You're so full of it," she said with a disgusted look on her face.

He gave her one last wink before he left her, his scent still in the air, his last words echoing in her head.

"I'm yours too, you know."

Somehow Sara had trouble breathing at this point_. I'm yours too, you know._ She shook herself out of her trance, angry at the fact that he had gotten under her skin yet again and then she looked at the roses in her hand, frowning.

"Who the hell send me these?" she asked herself, leaving the locker room with a determined expression on her face. Ready to find out who had been the one to send her roses.

* * *

Several hours later an exhausted Sara entered the locker room to find Warrick leaning against the lockers, looking utterly relaxed.

"There she is," he exclaimed once he spotted her. "So, enlighten me. Who is the newest member of the Sara Sidle fan club?"

Sara slammed the door of her locker, hardly paying attention to him.

"I don't know yet," she eventually admitted and he saw him hiding a grin.

"Did you even bother to ask anyone?" he wanted to know because he could imagine that she had been to embarrassed to ask anyone about it.

"Yes," Sara deadpanned, surprising him. "I asked Hodges, Bobby, Archie. Even Greg, twice. They all said that they didn't do it."

"Hmmm," Warrick told her, placing his hand under his chin while he pretended to think about it. "Then it shall remain a mystery."

She just rolled her eyes when the door opened to reveal Nick, who smiled once he spotted Sara.

"Hey Sar," he greeted her. "I haven't seen you all day. Did you get my roses?"

"It was you?" Sara said, confusion written all over her features.

"It was you!" Warrick yelled, an angry scowl on his face.

Nick backed away slowly, a bit surprised by the outburst of the two people before him. He decided to start with Sara since Warrick seemed ready to explode.

"Yeah," he said in a soothing tone of voice, hoping that it would calm Warrick down a bit. "Didn't you read my card?"

"There was a card?" Sara asked him and she opened her locker to grab the roses, looking for one.

"You missed a card?" Warrick asked her with a look of disbelief on his face. "Some CSI you are," he then muttered and she spun around to press the roses in his hands.

"There is no card, you moron," she practically hissed at him. "See for yourself."

"Oh man," Nick exclaimed from behind them and both turned back to him. "I told them to send the flowers _with_ a card. Idiots!"

"Why did you send the flowers in the first place?" the dark man grumbled and Nick had to hide his grin, seeing the obvious jealousy his friend was displaying.

"I noticed Sara had been a bit down lately," he finally explained. "And I wanted to cheer her up, let her know I was there for her if she needed me."

"Ah," Sara whispered, walking over to her friend to hug him. "That's so sweet. Thank you."

Nick smiled while he held her, being careful not to look at Warick.

"You're welcome," he said once she released him.

"What did the card say?" Sara wanted to know out of curiosity.

"It said: I hope these bring back the color in your life. If you need me, you know I'll be there. Your friend, Nick." Once he was done speaking he looked up somewhat sheepishly, seeing Sara with a huge smile on her face while Warrick was watching the display with a look of contempt on his.

"That's so sweet," Sara said yet again before she hugged him a second time. Behind them Warrick rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you're a real prince, Stokes," he commented and Sara spun around, letting go of Nick in the progress.

"You're jealous," she told him and Warrick raised his eyebrows. "Picture that, Sidle."

Nick smiled while he watched them bicker, seeing an attraction that both were trying desperately to hide.

"Ok," he said, grabbing both their attention again. "I gotta go and Sara, if you ever need anything..."

She nodded.

"I'll know who to call," she finished and Nick nodded too before he left them in the locker room.

"That was disgusting," Warrick said with a roll of his eyes and she wanted to scream some more when she saw a smile appear on his face, one that was distracting her big time.

"But," Warrick continued while he grabbed a clean t-shirt out of his locker. "Stokes was right about one thing; you do need a little color in your life." He took of his shirt to reveal smooth, black skin while winking at her and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

"You gotta stop this," she told him weakly and he grabbed his shirt, taking his sweet time to put it on before he approached her.

"You don't want me to stop this," he whispered in her ear and this time she closed her eyes, feeling his breath on her skin again. "So remember, Sidle," he continued. "Anytime you want me, I'm yours."

He was almost gone when she got her composure back.

"You're not mine," she told him in small voice that both hardly recognized.

"Stop lying to yourself, Sara," Warrick told her, keeping his eyes glued on hers, complete confidence written all over him. "You know I am."

He closed the door and Sara sat down on the bench behind her, trying to calm down her heart that was beating loudly in her ears.

"That man is going to be the dead of me," she eventually muttered.

Tbc..


	8. These crazy feelings

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Do you people even read these things? No, they are not mine.

Note: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You people are so kind. I really enjoyed writing this chapter because, for once, I felt like Nick was talking to me while I wrote him. I hope you guys feel that too and that you enjoy this chapter. By the way, loving the reviews!

These crazy feelings

The radio was blasting away while Nick stood in the kitchen, singing along to the song loudly. Nick hated silence, had hated it with a passion ever since he had spend those horrible, silent, hours in that coffin. These days, his house was filled with noise but somehow he never managed to erase the silence within _him_. He couldn't shake the images, no matter how hard he tried. He could never get rid of the feelings of fear that were constantly surrounding him, waiting for him to break down and give into his emotions. He couldn't do that Nick knew with certainty, he was a CSI and he was fine now. He had to be.

Persistent knocking on his door was heard over the sound coming from he radio and he turned it of, approaching the door with care. Another thing that he had lost, his faith in people, his trust in life. When he opened the door he was relieved to see Sara there. She had an agitated look on her face and she didn't wait for him to greet her, she just stormed in and started talking.

"Warrick has lost his mind," she told him in a matter of fact kind of way and he raised his eyebrows in confusion but that didn't stop her tirade. "He's flirting with me and suddenly single and he's telling me that he's mine and he's crazy." She stopped to catch her breath before she added. "Crazy I tell ye."

"Right," Nick drawled slowly. "Crazy, huh?"

"Yes!" Sara exclaimed, nodding hard to emphasize her point. "Crazy!"

He shook his head, hiding the grin that wanted to break out.

"It sounds like you're crazy about him," he told her and he stepped back, waiting for the outburst he knew was coming his way.

"I am not!" she yelled. "He's my friend and my co-worker and I'm not crazy about him." There was a short pause before she continued in a whisper. "I'm not."

"Ok," Nick said while shrugging, heading into the kitchen. "You want a drink?" he asked her and she just nodded. "I'm really not," she said again and when she heard his laughter coming from the kitchen she rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch.

"I'm not crazy about him," she said to herself as he walked back into the living room and his response was to laugh even harder.

"You're right, Sar," he eventually told her. "It sounds like you're _just_ crazy."

She glared at him and he took a seat next to her.

"You want to talk about it?" he wanted to know, real concern in his voice this time and she was silent for a while.

"Have you ever had the urge to grab one of your co-workers and ravish them?" she eventually asked and he raised his eyebrows. "No, have you?" he replied and when she blushed he had the answer he needed.

"Rick, you dog!" he said with a grin on his face that told her he was proud of his friend and she slapped his knee.

"Stop that," she demanded and he tried his very best to stop it, failing miserably.

"What is the problem here?" he asked her after a while. "He get's jealous when I sent you flowers, he tells you he's yours and you want to ravish him. Am I missing something here? Go to him, ravish him, make him yours, have a good time."

"I'd like that," she admitted with a far away look in her eyes. "Believe me, I'd very much like that."

This time Nick composed himself just in time, giving Warrick a silent high five in his mind.

"But," she continued. "It's not that simple, I will not be the rebound girl."

He shook his head yet again, not believing what he was hearing.

"Are you kidding me with this?" he questioned her. "You really think Rick would use one of his best friends as a rebound girl? Girl, you really are crazy."

"I think I might be," she said, burying her head in her hands. "What the hell is that man doing to me?"

"Nothing you're not doing to him in return," he advised her and she looked at him. "Huh?" was her intelligent reply and Nick sighed, talking to her like he did sometimes when he was at a convention and had to give a lecture to freshmen.

"He feels the same way about you," he said slowly. "He may act all confident but believe me, on the inside, he's not. You have power over him too, you know, and you can make him just as crazy as he's made you."

"I can?" she asked him with a sparkle in her eyes that made Nick feel very sorry for Warrick.

"You can," he just confirmed. "But if you tell Warrick I told you this I may have to kill you."

She grinned and nodded before she hugged him.

"This is our secret," he heard her mumble and he smiled before he closed his eyes. Enjoying her presence, savoring the fact that she was one of the few things that still made sense in his life.

"Go get him," he mumbled back and she pulled back with a somewhat scared expression on her face.

"Now?" was all she said and he nodded before he added; "Make him crazy."

Determination crossed her features and again Nick was afraid for his friend. He watched her stood up with a smile on her face that he knew was just for him.

"Thank you," she told him sincerely. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," he said, walking her to the door. "And I mean that, don't mention it. Ever."

"I won't," she promised him again, giving him one last grin before he closed the door. He immediately walked to his radio, letting the music fill the room to mask his own inner silence.

* * *

The next day Warrick entered the break room while humming a song, feeling very content about himself. His job was going well, his friends were all safe and sound and he was starting to break her down. He could feel it. His humming was cut short when the door opened and Cath walked in, looking at him suspiciously.

"You look happy," she told him and he just nodded.

"I am," he simply said, not elaborating any further on the subject and a uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"I'm glad you are," Cath said, surprising him. "I really am."

He gave her a smile, still somewhat hesitant.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

Again the conversation stopped, neither knowing what to say until he decided to take a chance.

"I miss you, you know that. I miss us working together and your friendship, I just..." he paused, looking at her to see her reaction before he continued. "I just miss you."

"I miss you too," she said, no hesitation in her voice. "And I'm sorry for reacting like I did when I found out about you and Tina. I always thought..." She shook her head. "That doesn't matter anymore, I was wrong."

He just nodded and she gave him a smile before she grabbed her lunch.

"Friends?" she asked him before she left the room and he gave her a smile in return. "I'd like that," he admitted, watching her walk away.

Humming again he grabbed his lunch before he entered the locker room, surprised to find a note taped on his locker. Reaching for it he smiled when he recognized the familiar handwriting.

'_Warrick,_

_Tonight we are going to play this game my way. We both have the night off so I invite you to come to my place and prove to me that you really are mine. Do you think you have the guts for that?_

_Sara'_

"What the hell?" Warrick muttered, somewhat scared before he read the note again, a smile slowly forming on his face.

"The game is on," he then told himself. "And I'm going to win, Sidle."

Tbc..


	9. The game is so on

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

Note: As always thank you. Also a big thanks to those who reviewed my short drabble 'New Options.' It was very much appreciated. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And I promise to continue it once I have the time. For now, enjoy! Don't forget to review, it makes me write faster : )

The game is _so_ on

Warrick looked at the note Sara had written one last time before he put it in the back pocket of his jeans, a content smile on his face. Nick chose that moment to walk into the room, somehow nervous once he spotted him standing there and Warrick eyed him suspiciously.

"What's up, bro?" he asked Nick as he watched him opening up his locker.

"Nothing," his co-worker answered before he almost dove into his locker so that he didn't have to look at Warrick.

"Why are you so jumpy?" Nick heard the deep voice of his friend ask right behind him and when he turned around Warrick was standing inches away from him and Nicky felt very small all of a sudden.

"I didn't talk to Sara," he blurted out and he inwardly cursed himself when the taller man narrowed his eyes. "You talked to Sara?" he then asked him in a soothing voice that was very deceiving.

"Only a little," Nick said meekly and when the other man glared at him he continued; "Fine, I gave her advice. You happy now? I gave her advice!"

"What kind of advice?" Warrick said in a low voice, the one that Nick never liked hearing but usually his friend only used that voice in the interrogation room.

"She was upset, because of you and I told her.." Nick stopped, backing away from Warrick just to be on the safe side. "I told her she had power over you too," he continued while rushing his sentence, ready to run out of the room when his friend stopped him.

"You did what?"Warrick yelled, shaking his head. "You got to be kidding me! You never, ever, tell a woman she has power too. That's wrong, man."

Nick just stood there before he offered;

"But at least you know now, right?"

His friend walked towards him and Nick immediately backed up, something that Warrick registered with a worried frown.

"You are in so much trouble the next time you have a girlfriend, Stokes," he warned him before he took the time to look at him. "Are you ok?" he then asked Nick, his concern for him overpowering any need he had to mess with him further.

"I'm fine," Nick told him, smiling to prove his point but Warrick could clearly see how hard his friend was trying.

"You're not, bro," he said gently and Nick turned around, trying very hard to compose himself.

"Please, Rick," he said, facing him again with a hint of tears in his eyes. "I'm fine, just leave it at that."

Warrick nodded, sensing that this wasn't the right time to talk about this and he decided to let him be.

"If you ever need to talk," he offered one last time and Nick smiled.

"Thanks, man," he said and Warrick hesitated yet again, not really keen on leaving his friend in this state . "Don't wait to long to talk to someone," he finally advised, worried green eyes strengthening the words. "Just remember, night or day, I'll be there."

"Right," Nick said, turning around again to indicate that the conversation was over and Warrick left him in the locker room, more then a little worried.

* * *

A couple of hours later Warrick stepped into his home, looking forward to his evening with Sara, already playing the scenario to come in his head.

"The power will be mine, Sidle," he mumbled to himself before he took a shower. He emerged a while later, changed into tight black jeans with a green short sleeved shirt to match, showing of his arms and then he searched for his favorite cologne.

"It will have to do," he commented while he looked at himself in the mirror and decided that he looked pretty decent. He grabbed a bottle of wine out of his fridge and left the house.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sara stood in front of her closet, trying to calm down her nerves.

"It's just Warrick," she told herself. "Relax, it's just Warrick. You have power too. It's _just_ Warrick"

She had repeated that sentence in her head a thousand times ever since she got home. _You have power too. You have power too. You have power too. _Somehow it didn't seem to help very much.

"Arghh!" she yelled, clearly frustrated, while looking at her closet with contempt "I have absolutely nothing to wear."

Calming herself down she decided to take a shower, the hot water doing wonders for her nerves and when she emerged a while later she started looking in the back of her closet. Pulling out a short, black dress after a minute of searching.

"I knew I would wear this thing someday," she mumbled, remembering the day when she had bought the thing on impulse, not even knowing why. "I'm ready for you, Brown," she said with some confidence before she changed into the dress and started searching for her favorite perfume.

* * *

There was a knock on her door half an hour later and suddenly her nerves were back in full force, despite the fact that she was wearing a black dress that fitted her like it was made for her only.

"Here goes nothing," she mumbled, opening the door with a huge smile on her face, one that left her features once she spotted himShe cursed him in her mind, where the hell did he find those jeans?

Warrick had his sexy smile in place when she opened the door, leaning casually against her door frame and he blessed his poker face when he saw her. She had on black, short and _tight _dress. Where the hell did she find a dress like that?

"I brought wine," he said, his voice a little husky, betraying some of the inner commotion he still felt after seeing her in a dress.

"Thanks," she told him, the smile back on her face and she stepped aside to let him in, trying very hard not to stare at his backside when he walked in front of her.

"You look beautiful," he complemented her and he turned around to see her eyes traveling back to where his face was, not fast enough though.

"Like what you see?" he asked her, his cocky grin in place and she tried to stop from blushing, failing miserably.

"I've seen better," she lied and his eyes sparkled in a dangerous way, telling her that he was on to her. "Right," she continued, "I better cool the wine."

She almost ran to her kitchen, taking a deep breath once she was there.

"You have power too," she told herself sternly and again the sentence did nothing to calm her down a bit.

"Talking to yourself, Sidle?" his voice came from behind her and she spun around to see him leaning against her fridge, arms crossed over his chest while he wore an amused expression on his face.

"No," she denied quickly, lying again. "You must be imagining things, Brown."

"Picture that," he commented and she didn't know if she wanted to hit him or kiss him silly.

"So," Warrick drawled, "I talked to Nick today, he told me something interesting."

She closed her eyes, cursing her friend before she looked at him.

"He told you?" she asked, still a little hopeful that maybe he was talking about something else.

He grinned, winking at her.

"You know that nothing can defeat the glare," he said proudly and she shook her head.

"Thanks, Stokes," she muttered before she straightened her back, remembering what Nick had said. _You can make him crazy too._

"So," she said, a huge flirty smile on her face while she approached him and Warrick frowned, sensing that he was losing some of his control. "You hungry?" She was standing inches away from him and he could feel her breath on his face.

"A little," he stammered and she smiled when she heard that. She had just made Warrick Brown stammer. "Too bad," she whispered in his ear, feeling him shiver. "Cause you know what? I didn't make any dinner, I figured we would be to busy." He groaned at the end of her statement and she did a little victory dance in her head when all of a sudden his arms where around her and he was kissing her neck.

"That's ok," he mumbled, his breath hot on her skin. "I'll just taste you then."

She closed her eyes, arching into him while she knew that it this was wrong. He was winning.

"Right!" she exclaimed, stepping away from him, trying very hard to avoid his eyes because she knew that looking into them would be fatal. "A drink then?"

"A drink is good," he agreed, taking in her flushed face and he resisted the urge to kiss her senseless.

"You're not going to win, Brown," she told him, finally having the courage to look at him again while she left the kitchen with two glasses of wine in her hand. "I have power over you too, you know?" she said proudly.

He just smiled, taking his sweet time to follow her, enjoying the view.

"The game is _so_ on," he whispered before he made his way into the living room. This was going to be a very interesting evening...

Tbc...


	10. In times of need

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

Note: Sorry for the lack of updates! What can I say, life got in the way. Anyway, I had some free time today and decided to write an update. It's not a very long chapter but I'm still somewhat happy with how it turned out. I hope you guys like it too and I hope that you keep reviewing this story like you have before. Your responses have been amazing and it's kept this story flowing in my head so thank you! I really, really, appreciate it.

In times of need

Sara walked out of the kitchen, taking a deep breath to calm down her nerves while trying very hard to forget how good his lips had felt on her skin. She told herself that he was not going to win but when she turned around and saw him follow her out of the kitchen all thoughts flew out of her head. It was almost like he was trying to catch a pray, he was walking even slower then usual, his eyes traveling over her body. He looked arrogant, slightly amused but most of all sexy and she gasped a little. Immediately cursing herself for it but damn it... he was gorgeous.

"Ready to give up, Sidle?" he asked her, stopping in front of her and taking the glasses of wine out of her hands while she tried to pay attention to what he was saying.

"You're not going to win," she repeated again, not sounding very convinced and he wrapped both his arms around her, noticing that she did nothing to stop him.

"I don't want to win," he whispered in her ear and he felt how she pressed herself closer to him, her soft curves against him.

"You always want to win," she stated, looking up at him and he shook his head, giving her the slightest hint of a smile.

"No," he denied, his green eyes staring into hers. "I just want _you_."

Sara closed her eyes, the words repeating themselves in her head. _I just want you._ She was vaguely aware that she was caving in but then she decided that this would be a game that she was more then willing to lose.

"Then take me," she told him, seeing him blink to process her words before she pressed her lips against his, letting him know that she wanted him too.

They were laying on the couch when the phone rang, both of them not even remembering how they got there or how Warrick's shirt had disappeared from his body.

"Phone," Warrick whispered before he kissed her again and she blindly reached for it while kissing him back with the same amount of passion.

"Sara Sidle," she managed to say, panting a little while Warrick was kissing her neck, her fingers gliding over his bare skin.

"Sara?" Nick said, sounding very scared and she froze at the sound of his voice. "Is Rick with you?" he asked her and she confirmed that he was.

"It's Nick," she told Warrick, who had looked up when he felt her freeze. "He's not sounding to good," she continued in a whisper and he reached for the phone and jumped up from the couch, a look of concern on his face.

"Are you ok, bro?" he asked him and Sara looked at him while he listened to his friend.

"I really need to talk to somebody," Nick said in a little voice, one that Warrick had never heard before and never wanted to hear again.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," he promised his friend and he reached for his shirt that was laying on the floor. "Just hang in there, bro. I'm coming," was the last thing he told Nick before he hung op the phone.

He turned back to Sara, wanting to apologize but she silenced him, giving him a short kiss before she almost shoved him out of the door.

"Go," she told him, "He needs you."

"I'll be coming back, Sara" he promised her and she smiled. "Damn right you'll be coming back," she said before she closed the door behind him.

* * *

Warrick raced towards his friend, standing in front of his door fifteen minutes later.

"Nick," he yelled, banging on the door. "It's me, open up!"

The door opened a few seconds later and Warrick was shocked to see Nick standing there, shaking, looking very much like he wanted to cry.

"It won't go away," he said to him and Warrick walked in, trying very hard to hide the shock he felt after seeing his friend like this.

"What won't go away, Nicky?" he asked him, being careful not to get to close and Nick looked at him, a blank expression on his face.

"I'm still in that coffin, I never got out," he whispered, sitting down and wrapping his arms around himself.

"No you're not," the taller man replied, crouching down in front of him. "You're out, man. You made it."

"I didn't make it!" Nick replied with venom. "I'm a mess, Rick. I keep reliving it, it won't go away. It will _never_ go away."

Warrick closed his eyes, wishing yet again that he had been the one to pick the wrong side of the coin that day. He still saw that coin flying in the air and he didn't think that it was an image that would ever leave his mind.

"You were strong enough to survive, Nicky," he told his friend, forcing him to look at him. "You are the only person I know that could have survived that," he continued, nodding to emphasize his point..

Nick just shook his head, rocking himself back and forward.

"But it stays silent," he mumbled and Warrick frowned, not really getting what his friend was talking about.

"Look at me, bro," he told him sternly and Nick looked up. "You are going to be fine because I won't let you think otherwise. You are the most courageous person I know and my best friend. I won't let you do this to yourself. Don't let that jerk win, Nicky. You're better then him, you know that."

Nick just stared at him blankly, hardly giving a sign that he had heard him.

"I'm always afraid," he finally confessed before he broke down, sobbing in front of him and Warrick reached up and wrapped his arms around his friend. "Sssshhh," he tried to comfort him, letting him cry while he kept talking to him. "It's ok, it's going to be ok."

Warrick couldn't tell how often he repeated that sentence before the sobbing stopped and he stood up, taking a seat next to his friend.

"Have you talked to anyone about this?" he asked. "Because I think you need some help, bro."

Nick gave him a watery smile, still shaking a little.

"You think?" he said dryly and Warrick laughed, the other man joining him a few seconds later.

"That wasn't funny," Nicky said once they were done laughing.

"I know," the dark man confirmed. "None of this is funny but it's happening and I know you'll get over this."

"How can you be so sure?" Nick asked him, sounding more then a little confused.

"Because that bastard had the bad luck that you were the one to respond to that call," Warrick said simply. "He didn't know that he would bury the strongest CSI we have. I look up to you, bro," he confessed and he saw the look of surprise on Nick's face. "I know that people think that I'm the strong, cool one but on the inside..it's you, man."

"You really believe that, Rick?" the other man questioned and Warrick just nodded.

"Like I believe the fact that Sara Sidle is falling head over heals in love with me," he commented dryly and this time the laughter that came from Nick was real and he just leaned back and watched him, glad that he could have been there.

* * *

Several hours later there was a knock on Sara's door and she opened the door with a huge smile on her face.

"Are you back for more?" she said with a flirty smile on her face but her smile disappeared when she noticed the look in his eyes.

"Is he ok?" she asked him and Warrick nodded. "He will be," he said before he pulled her towards him, clinging to her for dear life. Wanting the same kind of comfort that he had just offered his best friend.

"It's going to be ok, Warrick," Sara whispered in his ear and standing there with her in his arms he finally allowed himself to believe just that. With her, everything seemed like it was going to be ok.

Tbc...


	11. Defining moments

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them.

Note: Hey guys, I'm back. First of, I want to thank anybody who took the time to review 'Breaking and making a team.' It was very much appreciated. Secondly, I had planned for this to be the last chapter but somehow I can't seem to let this story go so I decided to write a few more chapters. I hope you guys agree with that decision. Thirdly, I hope everybody checks out 'The Underdog,' because my co-authors did an amazing job writing their chapters. It turned out to be a beautiful story so check it out! Lastly, thanks for all the reviews on this story and keep them coming. Enjoy the chapter!

Defining moments

She didn't know if he was sleeping, although his hold on her was still firm. It felt like he couldn't let her go, _wouldn't_ let her go. When she had opened the door she hadn't expected to see him like that. Tired, sad, vulnerable. He had clung to her like she was the only thing keeping him sane and she wondered if she really was. Wondered if he ever doubted coming back to her, if the thoughts of casino's had entered his mind at all. She had let him hold her, had let him lead her to the couch where they were now. Him spooning behind her, his hold on her strong and his breathing finally back to a normal level. She moved slightly and he responded by stroking his thumb over her belly.

"Hey," he said to her, the first word he had spoken since they moved to the couch.

"Hey," she whispered back, having trouble with the fact that her back was to him, that she couldn't see him but she sensed that he needed that. Warrick Brown wasn't used to sharing his emotions and this was the only way he knew how to deal with the fact that suddenly he needed _her_ when things got complicated. Her. Not his music, not the thrill of a bet, these days she was the only thing that could make him feel like the world was still spinning when he felt like it had stopped.

"He just broke down, Sara," he told her and she cringed a bit, not wanting Nick to hurt like that.

"But you were there for him. You helped him," she responded, hoping that the knowledge would help him.

"He doesn't deserve this," Warrick mumbled and she could only nod until he continued. "It should have been me, if there was any justice in this world then it should have been me responding to that call."

She spun around so fast she would have fallen if he hadn't tightened the already strong hold he had on her.

"Don't ever say that again," she replied with anger in her voice. "Nick never deserved this but you didn't either. It was bad luck."

Warrick sighed, still not looking at her even though she was facing him now.

"What did Nick ever do to deserve any of this? I deserved punishment, he didn't."

She forced him to look at her and was shocked by the guilt she saw in his eyes.

"You deserved punishment for what?" she questioned. "For being a kind, smart and caring man? Stop doing this to yourself, Rick."

He closed his eyes, pressing a short kiss in her hair.

"I don't know how to stop, Sara," he confessed. "And seeing him like this today...You don't know what it feels like to know that I could have been the one to prevent all that."

"You couldn't have prevented it," she said stubbornly. "Why would it be better if it had been you in that box?"

"I don't know," he whispered. "It just feels like that scenario wouldn't have hurt as many people."

"It would have hurt _me,_" she told him in a small voice and he looked at her with big eyes, amazed by the fact that she was telling him this.

"Seeing Nick like that, I could barely stand it..." she continued, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "But the thought that it could have been _you _in that box.. that just scares me to death."

"Why?" he asked her and she kissed him an almost desperate way. "Because you matter to me, Warrick," she answered the question before she continued.

"So stop this, you're not helping Nick by feeling guilty all the time. He needs you right now, he needs you strength and _I_ need you to be ok. I need you to finally accept what has happened and deal with it. What ifs won't help Nicky."

"How did you get to be so smart," he wanted to know with a small smile on his face and she just shrugged.

"This isn't about me being smart," she told him in a serious tone. "This is about me not wanting to see my guy hurting like this."

"I'm your guy now?" Warrick said with a wink and she just nodded before she kissed him again. "And you better remember that," she mumbled against his lips, causing him to laugh.

"I will," he promised her, allowing himself to get lost in her kisses.

"So, now what?" he asked her a couple of minutes later. "Are we a couple now?"

She thought about it, somehow finding the thought of them being a couple still slightly frightening.

"Do we have to label this?" she answered. "I know that you make me feel like I've never felt before but I don't know where this is going. Couldn't we just take it slow and see where we're heading?"

He just nodded, giving her a short kiss. "I can do that," he told her and she knew that he meant it. "So," he drawled. "What are you doing tomorrow? After shift?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know, sleeping I guess."

"Pfff," Warrick told her, a grin on his face. "Sleeping can be such a waste of your time. I really feel sleeping is overrated. Wanna go on a date?"

"A date, huh?" Sara repeated, pretending to think about it. "I can do a date."

"Good," he said satisfied before he got up, releasing her in the progress. "I should go home, get some sleep," he announced.

"I thought sleeping was overrated?" Sara asked playfully and he just smiled.

"Not when you're very tired and have to work in a couple of hours," he said dryly and she nodded, laughing a little.

"I'm glad you stopped by tonight," she told him. "The first time was..well, it was hot." She stopped when she noticed the proud grin on his face.

"Don't give me that, Brown," she said with a grin of her own. "I know you found kissing me just as satisfying."

He grinned some more, loving the look of confidence she was sending his way. "I'm also glad you came her after you went to see Nick," she said, changing the subject.

"Me too," Warrick agreed before he grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door, lingering there, obviously doubting whether or not he should tell her this.

"I really needed you tonight, Sara," he confessed and she had trouble haring him over the loud beating of her heart.

"Anytime," she finally managed to choke out and when he smiled her heart fluttered a bit.

"Bye," he told her and he closed the door behind him while she stood on the same spot, motionless.

"I'm in love with him," she finally whispered to herself, her voice full of awe. She walked to the mirror, checking to see if the knowledge had changed her but she looked the same.

"I'm in love with him," she said again, her voice stronger this time before she laughed at her own reflection.

"I'm _so_ in love with him," she said for the third time, a huge smile on her face when she turned around and headed for bed. She couldn't wait to go on that date..

Tbc...


	12. Dating the one you love

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Eh...does anybody even read these? Well, fine, they are not mine. Everybody happy now?

Note: As always, thank you for the enormous amount of reviews this story has been receiving. I love the huge response and I swear, you guys helped to get this story where it is now. I love writing this story and I hope you guys continue to love reading it. There are a few chapters left but the end is near. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Dating the one you love

Dress casually, he had told her at the end of shift before he took off with a wink and a impossible smirk on his face. One that she had wanted to kiss right of his face. Sighing, Sara stood in front of her closet. Debating how you could wear something casual and still be sexy at the same time. Eventually she decided that a nice halter top was ok. It wasn't her fault that it showed some skin, it was casual. And the jeans...yes, they were tight and clung to her like a second skin but it was casual. The fact that she wore make-up was also casual. She had managed to dress exactly like he wanted her to. If he wanted casual then he would get casual. A knock on her door erased the proud smile she was wearing and she walked towards the door, nervous and excited at the same time.

"Hi," he greeted her, looking utterly relaxed in jeans and a green sleeveless shirt. "Casual suits you," he complemented, his eyes traveling over her body.

"You too," she responded before she gave up all pretense and stepped closer, kissing him in a way that left him speechless when she released him.

"I just wanted to do that," she explained, an innocent expression on her face before she turned around and grabbed her coat. "Let's go," she told him and he walked towards his car, stopping halfway and turning back to her.

"Your eyes are burning a whole in my butt," he said with the biggest grin on his face and she just smiled, not even bothering to deny the accusation.

"That would be a real shame," was her only comment and when he laughed she just watched him. Amazed by the fact that this was Warrick, still one of her best friends, her co-worker and someone she could trust with her life but also the man she had fallen in love with. A fact that was still mind numbing to her.

"We're going to have a great time, Sara," he promised her before he started the engine and she nodded, not doubting that for a minute.

Half an hour later she was starting to have some doubts when she took in her surroundings, a somewhat scared look on her face."Are you kidding me?"" she asked him and he shook his head.

"Nope," was his calm reply. "You once told me that you loved this as a kid but then life got in the way and you had to give it up. I figured this would be a good way to find a part of your inner kid again. Besides," he whispered in her ear. "It's been ages for me too, I hope I still know how to climb on."

"You make everything dirty, Rick," she told him, even though she was smiling a bit, her eyes fixed on the two horses standing before them before she focused her attention on the man who was saddling them up.

"Is it safe for us to ride them?" she asked the man, who introduced himself as Billy and then assured her that it were sweetest horses she could ever hope to find.

"I'm sure they are," she replied with an uneasy smile. "They look kinda big though."

"Don't let big things scare you, Sara," Warrick told her with a wink and she narrowed her eyes at him while he hopped on the horse with a grace that made her suspect that he went riding every week.

"Fine," she mumbled, managing to get on the horse the second time she tried, although she had some help from Billy. Meanwhile she tried to ignore the amused look that Warrick was sending her way.

"Looking good, Sidle," he drawled, happily waving to Billy before he took off with the horse, all elegance and ease.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, slowly getting used to the feeling of being on a horse again before she followed him, catching up with him a couple of seconds later.

"You're really something, Brown," she admitted once they were riding next to each other and green eyes sparkled when he looked at her. "Yeah, I'm a mystery," he smirked, remembering a time when he had told Catherine the same thing.

"I told you the story of my horse riding days years ago," she remembered, a puzzled look on her face and he nodded next to her. "I tend to remember the things that matter to me," was his simple answer.

"I'm glad you do," Sara told him, her fear slowly fading because Billy had been right, this horse was easy to ride on. Relaxing somewhat she took in her surroundings, they were riding on a ranch just outside of Vegas and for a while it was easy to forget about the pressure of the job or the stress you got from living in a city that never sleeps. Looking over at the man next to her she saw that he was watching her, all caring and gorgeous, and for the first time in her life Sara felt truly happy.

Some time later they stopped near a fence, securing the horses and allowing them to rest a bit.

"You like my idea?" he asked her and the smile she gave him was the answer he needed.

"I love it," she told him, stepping closer to him while she leaned against him and he responded by wrapping both his arms around her.

"It's not to cheesy?" he wanted to know and she grinned.

"A little bit," she admitted before she turned around in his embrace. "But that's ok, Rick. I haven't had much cheesy moments in my life and this one...It may be cheesy but I'm having a blast."

"Good," he answered before he lowered his head and kissed her and she allowed herself to get lost in his touch for a while, giving as good as she was getting.

"Who thought you how to kiss like that?" he mumbled against her lips a while later and she laughed. "What can I say?" she said somewhat teasingly, "I'm a mystery."

"Yeah," he agreed, pulling back to look at her and suddenly completely serious. "But I like unraveling the mystery that is Sara Sidle."

"That's good to know," she said before she stepped out of his arms. "We should get back or they'll send out a search party."

"Picture that," she heard him mutter and she climbed back on her horse, watching him do the same.

"Looking good, Brown," she teased him and the ride back was spend with them talking and laughing.

A while later Warrick pulled up in front of her house, turning of the engine and looking at the woman sitting next to him.

"I liked spending the day with you," he told her with a somewhat shy smile on his face. "I could get used to that," he continued, taking a chance and she turned towards him.

"Me too," was her answer and she stopped, debating whether or not she should ask him this. "Why doesn't this feel weird?" she finally managed to ask and he raised both his eyebrows.

"What do you mean, Sara?" he questioned, not following the sudden turn in the conversation.

"You and me," she began. "We hated each other when we first met and then we became friends, good friend and for such a long time that was all we were," she stopped, pausing to take a deep breath, "And then all of a sudden we were flirting and I couldn't stop thinking about you and now we're on our way to become.."

"Lovers?" he finished for her and she nodded.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, "Lovers and this should feel weird but it doens't. Why doesn't it feel weird, Warrick?"

He shrugged, taking his time to think about it.

"I don't know," he told her. "In my experience, if things are right then it never feels weird."

"You think we're right together?" she asked him in a small voice and he kissed her before he got out of the car and walked her towards her door, kissing her again once they got there.

"You know we are, Sara," was the last thing he told her before he turned around and drove off and she watched him leave.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered, entering her house with the biggest smile on her face.

Tbc...


	13. Helping a friend

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them.

Note: Sorry for the late update! Life got in the way, as always, but I never forgot about this story. Thank you for all the responses so far and for reviewing "The Underdog" like you have. We're really excited about that. And lastly, sorry Tini, the rating is still K. Like I said, I can't do smut. Shoot me:)

Helping a friend

Sara was on her way to Hodges, needing the results from the fiber-analysis she had given him when she noticed a lone figure in the break room. Looking at her watch she decided that Hodges could wait a while longer and she headed towards the room.

"Hey, Nick" she greeted her friend upon entering and he looked up with a tired smile on his face.

"Sara," was his reply and he stopped, looking away from her.

"How are you?" she asked him in a friendly tone and Nick shrugged.

"Griss thinks I should see a shrink," he mumbled, laughing a little. "I don't need a shrink, Sar," he told her with venom and she reached out to him, grabbing his hand and holding it.

"You need help, Nicky," she whispered and he looked at her, a hint of tears in his eyes.

"I know," he admitted, nodding to emphasize his point. "And I will get help, I have you and Warrick and..."

She silenced him with a squeeze in his hand.

"You need the kinda help we can't give you," she stated simply.

He averted his eyes to the ground, not wanting to see or hear her before he looked up.

"I don't need a shrink," he said stubbornly. "All I need is you guys and then I'll be fine."

Sighting, Sara sat down, letting go of his hand in the progress.

"He can't, Nick," she told him and Nick raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?" he questioned and she smiled a little.

"Warrick," she clarified, "I know he wants to be there for you and I know that you count on him to help you but...he can't."

"I said I needed you _guys_," Nick said frustrated. "Not just Warrick, I mean the whole team."

"Right," Sara mumbled, a thoughtful look on her face. "Then why was he the first one you called when you broke down?"

"He's my best friend," he answered and Sara stood up again, stepping into his personal space, forcing him to look at her.

"And you rely on him to make things better," she told him softly and he was silent for a while before he nodded.

"Is that a crime?" he asked her, on the brink of getting angry and she shook her head.

"No, Nicky, it's not," she said, smiling while thinking about the subject of their conversation. "But..." she continued, "This is something you have to do without him because he can't be objective. Not when it concerns what happened to you."

"You underestimate him," Nick told her. The anger gone, replaced by confidence in his best friend.

"I would never underestimate him," Sara whispered and in that moment Nick knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved his best friend, plain and simple. "He feels guilty, Nicky," she continued, "No matter what we tell him, he still thinks that it should have been him in that box."

"What has that got to do with anything?" her friend asked her. A look on his face that told her he was losing his patience.

"You need someone who is completely there for _you,_" Sara clarified, emphasizing on the last word. "Warrick can't do that, I couldn't do it either because every time I think about what happened to you..." She paused, brushing some tears away. "I know we didn't feel what you felt and that we couldn't begin to imagine what you went trough but that day...it was one of the worst days in our lives. We still got our own demons to fight, Nicky. And no matter how much we want to help you, we can't. _He_ can't. Emotionally we're to involved."

"I still don't want to see a shrink," he said, shaking his head and sitting down.

"I did," Sara told him calmly and he looked up, surprised. "You did?" he asked her and she nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "My life was a mess, I was drinking on the job and Grissom told me to take a leave of absence and go see a psychiatrist."

"Wow," Nick mumbled beside her. "We never knew," he whispered before he turned in his seat and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Sara," she heard him say and she smiled, still amazed by the fact that Nick always cared for other people, no matter what was happening in his own life.

"Don't be," she told him while pulling back. "Because you know what? The shrink I had to see, he actually helped me. He looked at my life with no personal attachments and he helped me figure out what was wrong with it."

"But what if he can't help me?" Nick asked, a scared look on his face and Sara knew that this was his real fear. He was scared to death that he was never going to get past his problems.

"Give it a shot, Nicky," she advised him. "I didn't want to go either. Nobody does but sometimes the people in your life can't help you. No matter how much they want to."

"I'll think about it," he promised her and she smiled, holding him again. "You do that," she replied.

"Am I interrupting something here?" a deep voice asked behind them and they pulled apart, looking into amused green eyes.

"Stokes, you should feel ashamed of yourself, feeling up a co-worker up in the break room while being on the job. That could get you fired, you know," Warrick said with a straight face, trying to look as stern as possible but failing miserably.

Nick laughed, getting up and winking at Sara.

"C'mon, Rick! Look at her," he said to his friend, standing besides Warrick and pointing at the only female in the room. "You would touch her too if you could."

"Yeah," Warrick drawled, nodding slowly. "I would touch her too," he admitted, his voice a little husky and Sara blushed.

"Right," Nick said, trying to hide his smile. "I should go, I left poor Greg alone with a decomp and I think he's about ready to puke."

Warrick laughed, picturing Greggo all alone while trying to keep his food inside.

"You're a bad, bad man," he told his friend with a grin on his face and Nick just nodded, not even trying to deny it.

"Thanks, Sara," he then said and she smiled at him. "Anytime, Nick.You know that."

"Yeah, I know," was the last thing Nick told her before he rushed out of the room to put Greg out of his misery.

"Should I be jealous?" Warrick asked her once they were alone and she pretended to think about it.

"He is a very good hugger," she answered, a dreamy look on her face.

"I'm a good hugger too," she heard him huff and she shook her head.

"No, you're not" she told him and he narrowed his eyes. "Are you questioning my hugging skills, Sidle?"

She nodded, stepping closer and putting her arms around him, in the middle of the break room.

"You see," she whispered in his ear, "Hugging should feel safe, comfortable and whenever you touch me..."

"What happens when I touch you?" he asked her, his eyes darkening.

"It's not safe," she whispered, kissing him shortly. "It's not comfortable," she mumbled while trailing a path of kisses from his lips to his ear. "Every time you touch me, I'm on fire," she finally admitted before she captured his lips in a hungry kiss and he responded my pulling her closer to his body, losing all concept of time.

When she released him they were both panting and she smiled.

"You see," she told him with a sultry smile. "You're the worst hugger in the world."

Winking at him one last time she left the break room, leaving him to catch his breath.

"I can live with that," he said with a proud smirk on his face.

Tbc...


	14. A special breakfast

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine!

Note: It's been a while but I'm back. This story had two more chapters to go and then it's finished. In advance, I want to thank you all for your awesome replies! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

A special breakfast 

Warrick pulled up in his driveway, more then a little happy to see his home in front of him. He had made it, he had lived trough one of the longest shifts in his life. The case had been boring and Grissom had been demanding but he was home now and all he planned to do was sleep. He walked into his living room, leaving clothes as he made his way towards his bedroom and when his head hit his pillow he was already asleep.

He woke up sometime later, frowning when he felt something pressed against him. His hand tentatively reached out and he felt soft warm skin under his touch, spooned against his back. She was breathing with short even intervals, leaving a trail of hot air on his back every time she exhaled and he smiled before he turned around to see her because he knew. He would always know when Sara Sidle was lying in bed with him, holding him protectively. She was wearing one of his shirts and her long lashes were lying peacefully on her face. For a moment he pretended that she was as carefree as she looked right now, lying here in bed with him. She stirred somewhat when she felt him move and a couple of seconds later sleepy eyes were looking at him.

"You're awake," she whispered, looking a bit uncomfortable and he smiled his Warrick smile. The one that women had long ago called irresistible and that he had learned to use on special occasions only. Lately she was the only one receiving them and he couldn't picture ever giving them to someone else again.

"Yeah," he told her, brushing some hair out of her face. It had looked fine but he had felt the need to touch her. "This is a nice surprise," he continued and she blushed.

"My guy had a tough shift," she explained and his smile intensified when he heard her use the phrase 'my guy.'

"Oh, really," he said dryly, "Maybe you should go comfort your guy then."

She narrowed her eyes but the smile remained on her face.

"Yeah," she responded. "I'll make sure I'll go see him once we're done here."

His laugh tickled the hairs in her neck and he felt her shiver against him.

"Are you cold?" he asked her, a worried look on his face.

"No," she replied, her eyes never leaving his face. "Frankly, I think it's quite hot in here."

"Oh," he said, moving away from her. "I can turn the heat down if you like."

She stopped him by grabbing his wrist and pulling him back against her body.

"I don't feel hot because it's warm you moron," she half laughed before she pressed her lips against his and he happily pulled her closer, loving the feel of her long legs against his.

"How did you get in?" he whispered while trailing a path of kisses from her lips to her neck.

"I..." she answered, panting a little when he reached up and removed the t-shirt she was wearing. "Nicky has a key," he finally managed to say and he chuckled against her skin.

"I'll make sure you get one too," he managed to tell her between kisses before his lips found her breasts.

"Yeah," Sara said, sounding very content. "You do that..." she half whispered. "You know," she told him out of breath, "I was actually here to make you breakfast."

Her statement made him look up briefly. "That's nice," he told her before he went back to his task.

"I thought so too," she responded while arching her back.

"Sara?" he mumbled while her fingers were clawing in his hair.

"What?" she answered a bit distracted, lost in the feelings he was creating inside of her.

"Stop talking," he ordered and for once she was happy to obey someone.

* * *

A while later he woke up again, feeling her arm around his waist while she was laying contently against him. Her naked body was pressed against his and she had a satisfied smile on her face.

"That was better then breakfast," she mumbled with her eyes still closed and he shook with laughter.

"It was," he agreed, wrapping both his arms around her. "I could get used to waking up beside you," he admitted and she looked up but without the fear he had expected to see on her face after making such a statement.

"I think that can be arranged," she told him while smiling and she placed a kiss on his chest. "I'd like that," she added and he knew that slowly her walls were crumbling.

"Good," he commented before he managed to get out of bed.

"What are you doing?" she half whined, even though she was enjoying her view immensely.

"Making sure we get something to eat," he responded while putting some boxers on and he heard her sight in disappointment.

"You don't want something to eat?" he asked her while turning around and she shook her head. "I don't want you dressed," she said with a devilish spark in her eyes.

He rolled his eyes in response, trying to refrain from laughing although he was failing quite miserably.

"You're just here because you think I'm hot," he exclaimed and he tried to look as hurt as possible.

Sara wasn't that impressed however. "Duh," was her simple answer and he walked out of the room, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're an animal, Sidle," she heard him scream from his kitchen and she laughed while trying to find her t-shirt, joining him a couple of seconds later.

"Why does my shirt look so damn good on you?" he asked her, taking his time to look at her, his eyes darkening and she winked at him.

"You're an animal, Brown," she replied and he nodded contently, not even bothering to deny it.

"Bacon and eggs?" he asked her, changing the subject and she agreed with his choice.

"I'm starving," he heard her mutter and he had a proud smirk on his face.

"Did I wear you out?" he asked her arrogantly. " Not really," she replied with a straight face, "I've had better."

"What!" he exclaimed, turning around and forgetting about his eggs. "You have not," he told her, a somewhat scared look on his face.

"It was nice," she said, looking him straight in the eyes and he took a step towards her, waving his spatula in front of her face.

"You call that nice?" he questioned, gesturing wildly to make his point. "That was not nice, that was amazing!" he huffed, "I gave you some of my best moves," he continued and she broke down laughing.

"You're funny when your male pride is on the line," she told him, still shaking with laughter.

"And you're mean," he replied, some of his anxiety gone. "I don't care what you say, you were the best _I_ ever had."

"I was?"she asked him, her laugher stopping immediately and a genuine look of surprise on her face. "But you've had a whole lot of women," she said.

He just nodded, not really wanting to elaborate on that point.

"But none of them were you," he whispered before he kissed her and she kissed him back until she saw smoke coming from behind him.

"Rick, your eggs are on fire," she told him calmly and she smiled while she watched him clean up the mess in his kitchen.

"You want a cheese sandwich?" he asked her somewhat sheepishly once he was done and she nodded. "That's fine too," she told him.

Half an hour later they were sitting in front of the TV, both chewing on the last bite of their sandwich.

"So," he drawled. "What do you wanna do today? We could see a movie or take a walk."

"Nah," she replied, "I want to stay here."

"Really?" he asked her with a smirk on his face.

"Of course," she deadpanned. "Why would I want to take a walk when there's a bedroom here?"

"Hmmmm" he said, pretending to give her suggestion some thought. "Well, ok," he agreed, scooping her up from the couch and carrying her to his bedroom.

"Warrick," she whispered in his ear, "You're the best I've ever had too."

"I knew it!" was the last thing that was heard from his bedroom.

Tbc...


	15. Silence, fools and confessions

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

Note: There is one more chapter to go after this one. I can't believe this turned out to be a 16 chapter long story. I never saw that one coming! Thank you all for the kind words and for being my inspiration. Enjoy this one!

Silence, fools and confessions

Several months later…

Warrick woke up with a frown, sensing that she was gone already. She did that often, getting up early to go to work while he took the time to enjoy his spare time. He loved his quality hours with her and had no intention to let work interrupt them. Not Sara however, she would come to him and laugh with him, sleep with him but when that damn phone rang...She was gone and he was left without her. He was starting to feel like work was always going to be more important.

When he entered the lab a couple of hours later he found her in the trace lab, her eyebrows furrowed, completely focused on the piece of evidence lying in front of her.

"Hey," he greeted her softly and she looked up with a warm smile.

"Hey yourself," was her reply while she motioned for him to get closer. "Take a look in that microscope," she ordered. "What do you see?"

He glanced at her evidence briefly before he looked back at her. "Work," he told her while leaving the lab. "I'll always see work."

She watched him leave with short, almost angry, steps, confusion written all over her features. Getting up to follow him she was interrupted by Greg entering the lab.

"Brass just brought in our suspect," the young CSI told her with great enthusiasm. "You coming with me?"

She hesitated, looking in the direction Warrick had stormed off too. "Yeah," she eventually told him, seeing the young victim in her mind and needing to solve this case. "I'm coming."

Back in the break room Warrick entered with force, startling Nicky who had been enjoying his coffee break in silence.

"Damn it," he heard the tall man mutter before he sat down, a defeated look on his face.

"What's wrong, bro?" Nick asked him and the question made his friend look up, obviously surprised by the presence of another person in the room.

"I didn't see you there," he answered with a small smile, before he frowned. "Why is the radio not on?"

Nick answered with a smile of his own. "I'm learning to deal with silence again," was his simple reply, not elaborating any further on the subject and in that moment Warrick knew that his friend was going to be ok.

"So," Nick drawled, "Want to tell me what's going on?"

His friend just shook his head, standing up.

"Nothing," he said. "I love Sara and apparently...she loves her work."

He was gone before Nick had a chance to say something and he shook his head. "That man can be such a fool sometimes..." he mumbled.

* * *

Sara didn't see Warrick the rest of the night, once she was out her interrogation she had learned that he had a robbery uptown. He hadn't been back to the lab all night, only checking in with Grissom on his cell once in a while. Slamming the door of her locker she was determined to find him now. 

"Boy troubles?" she heard behind her, seeing Catherine there with a genuine look of concern on her face.

"Yeah," she grumbled, "But it's nothing a little ass kicking won't cure."

"Go easy on him," Cath advised her before Sara left the room. "He loves you, you know?"

"I know," the taller woman replied. "But he can't seem to understand that I love him too."

Getting angrier by the minute Sara drove off in a hurry, heading for his crime scene. When she got there the place was taped up with the familiar yellow tape she knew so well and there was an officer guarding the building. She showed him her ID, asking him where Brown was and he send her to the top floor where she found him taking shoe prints. She studied him for a minute, seeing the look of concentration on his face and she smiled in spite of herself. She loved him, it was as easy as that. He had taken her out of her shell and she felt vibrant whenever she was near him. Her frown returned when she remembered the conversation they had earlier that night, when she remembered the look on his face during that conversation. For a CSI that smart she couldn't figure out why he was acting like a total idiot. Her anger returned in full force and she stepped forward.

"You can be so stupid!" she spit out and he looked up, startled by her presence and the fury he spotted on her face.

"Excuse me?" he asked her, getting up to face her but she was already standing right in front of him, sending him daggers with her eyes.

"You doubt me!" she shouted at him, "You never ask me what I feel and you assume way to much. You're a moron!" she finished, crossing her arms and waiting for his reply.

He just blinked, shaking his head in an effort to clear it and then she saw anger flaring up in his eyes.

"I'm the moron here?" he hissed back. "So tell me, Sara, who is the one leaving me in the middle of the night because Grissom called about a DB lying in the dessert? Who is the one canceling dinner because you have one last piece of evidence to process? Or one last suspect to talk to. It's always work with you."

She shook her head, turning around and heading for the elevator. "You will never get it," she told him while pressing on the button of the elevator.

"And you'll always be in love with your work," he retorted, his back to her and a tired slump in her shoulders.

"Yes, I love my work," she replied, while getting in the elevator. " But I'll always be in love with you."

When he turned around the doors where already closed and she was gone, leaving him to rub his head in a tired manner while slowly a smile spread on his face.

Five minutes later Warrick Brown hurried past the officer standing outside of the building. "I'll be back tomorrow," he promised the man before he jumped in his car and drove off, getting to her place in record time, just in time to see her in front of her door, searching for her keys.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" she heard him say behind her and she turned around to see him right in front of her, a smile on his face that she couldn't place.

"Tell you what?" she asked him, finding her keys and opening the door.

"You've never told me you loved me," came his reply and he stepped into her house. The place that had become a second home to him. "You've told me I was special," he continued, "that you cared about me but love? Never."

"I did tell you," she countered, standing in front of him and taking his hand in her own. "I told you by coming to you whenever I felt like giving up, I told you by allowing you to enter my life like you did. I may have never said the words...but if you had paid attention you would have known."

"I'm not a mind reader, Sara," he told her. "I know you're not used to sharing your emotions but every once in a while...I just want to know what is going on inside that head of yours."

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll share more if you promise me to stop behaving like an utter fool."

"I'll try," he told her with a grin on his face before he kissed her, cupping her face between his hands. "Why are we such a weird couple?" he asked her between kisses and she shrugged.

"Who cares?" she whispered. "I like us," she paused, thinking about what she had just said, and shook her head. "No," she continued, "I _love_ us, I love you. Don't ever doubt that again."

He just shook his head, tracing the outer lines of her face with his hands. "I won't," he promised her, holding her fiercely. "I love you too."

"Yeah," she commented dryly. "You see, _I_ never doubted that."

His laugh filled the house and Sara wrapped her arms around his waist, thankful to have found such a fool.

Tbc...


	16. The rules of the lab

Author: Joyce

Title: The Consequences of Flirting

Disclaimer: They are not mine!

Note: This is it, the last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this one and I know that I had a blast writing this story. You guys have been amazing and I love you all for leaving me those lovely reviews. So please, humor me one last time...In other words, review!I will be back with another story so watch out for more Swarrick in the near future! Thanks again, it's been a great ride.

The rules of the lab

A year later...

Jessica DeLany had been dreaming about this day ever since she was a little girl. She had worked hard and she was here, finally. Walking around in the giant lab in Las Vegas she took in her surroundings, amazed by everything that she had seen during her tour. Next to her Greg Sanders talked animately and she turned her attention back to the young man, finding him somewhat cute and strange at the same time.

"So," Greg told the young woman with great enthusiasm, secretly enjoying the arrival of the new rookie who looked like she had stepped out of a model magazine, "This is our humble lab and the place where you will spend most of your living hours for years and years to come. Any questions?"

Jessica shrugged, to overwhelmed to really think of anything and her eyes darted around the lab, still not comprehending that this would be the place where she was starting as a rookie CSI. And then she did a double take.

"Whoa!" she said, nudging Greg standing next to her, "Who is that?"

The young man sighed in an almost desperate way but Jessica didn't hear it, her attention focused on what she was seeing in front of her.

"That's Warrick Brown," Greg told her with a frown and a wave of his hand. "He's a CSI level 3 and next in line to be the ruler of the kingdom since Catherine transferred to the day shift." He paused before he added; "He's great, you can learn a lot from him."

"He's fine," the young woman responded with both her eyebrows raised and a look in her eyes that could only be described as hungry. "Damn," she muttered and next to her Greg rolled his eyes.

"I guess" he shrugged, wanting to continue his tour but she stopped him. "Are there rules here about dating your co-workers?" Jessica asked him eagerly and Greg shook his head. "Not really," he replied.

"He is going to be mine," the rookie said confidently while watching the subject of their conversation again, who was to engrossed in his work to notice any of the lustful stares being send his way. Jessica was startled out of her fantasy world by someone tapping on her shoulder and she turned around to see a tall brunette standing behind her who was pretty in a unconventional way.

"Hi," the woman said with a fake smile, "I'm Sara."

Jessica smiled back and shook her hand, "Jessica DeLany," she introduced herself, "I'm the new rookie." Next to her Greg was watching the display with a look of great amusement on his face, knowing what was about to come. He wasn't planning on missing a minute of it.

"So," Sara drawled, "Has Greg explained the rules of the lab to you yet?"

The former lab tech studied his feet by now, trying to contain his laughter but Jessica failed to notice this again. "No," she said brightly, "He hasn't."

"Well," Sara continued, taking a step closer to the woman and standing in her personal space. "Let me explain them to you then. It's really very simple. First off, your work your ass off while you're here. This job is tough and dirty and we expect you to give a hundred percent. Do you think you can handle that?"

The blonde woman nodded enthusiastically, getting slightly uncomfortable by the taller CSI standing in front of her but she was trying to remain strong.

"Good," Sara said in the same light tone that Jessica had been using all day, "And then there's rule number two. A simple rule really." She pointed to Warrick, who was talking to Grissom in a relaxed matter, still not picking up on the tension outside of his lab. "You see that tall and handsome guy over there?"

Jessica nodded. "Oh yeah, it's kinda hard to miss him," she said with a sigh in her voice and Sara narrowed her eyes.

"Right," she agreed. "He is hot, isn't he? There is just one slight problem.. he is completely _mine_."

Jessica blinked while Sara just stared. "Do you think that you can remember rule number two?" she asked the rookie after a full minute of staring.

"Yes," Jessica assured her, looking at Greg for support but he was looking at the ceiling with great interest. "Rule number two is clear to me."

"Ok," Sara said, continuing her way towards Warrick's lab. "It was nice to meet you and welcome to the lab, I'm sure you'll fit in perfectly."

"Who was that?" Sara heard the rookie whisper to Greg and she heard his reply before she stepped into the lab.

"That was Sara Sidle-Brown. She's really very sweet, I promise..."

Sara grinned before she greeted Grissom, who was leaving when she entered the lab.

"Hey," she greeted the only man left in the room and Warrick turned around, smiling once he spotted his wife.

"Hey, yourself," he said, taking a look around and giving her a quick kiss before he pulled back. "Why are you looking so smug?"

"We have a new rookie," Sara told him innocently and he narrowed his eyes, knowing that she was up to something.

"Ok," he just said, "And why is that so important?"

"It's not," his wife told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But she was checking you out and I..."

"You did what?" he questioned, staking a step closer to her and pulling her towards him.

"Warrick," she warned him, "We're at work."

"I know," he deadpanned. "So tell me, what did my jealous wife do with this poor, unknowing, rookie?"

"Nothing," she mumbled and he just glared at her. "Fine," she eventually admitted. "I told her that you were mine. You happy now?"

Glancing up at him she saw that he was grinning from ear to ear. "You don't need to tell woman that I'm yours," he assured her. "I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself."

"I just don't want her flirting with you," she said stubbornly, wrapping her arms around his waist and not caring that the whole lab could see them.

"Why is that?" he whispered, his face nearing hers.

"Because flirting can have consequences," she whispered back before she kissed him and she felt him smile in the kiss.

"Only with you, honey ," he mumbled between kisses and Sara laughed before she just held him, burying her face in his shirt.

"I'm sorry for being a jealous idiot," he heard her mumble in his shirt and he looked down at his wife standing in his arms, amazed by the fact that they had gotten this far.

"That's ok," he told her while lifting her chin up with his hand. "I still love you, you know that." Her smile lit up the whole room and Warrick decided that work could wait for a couple of minutes longer.

Outside, Jessica en Greg passed the lab while glancing at the kissing couple. "They look extremely happy," she told her new co-worker and he just nodded. "They are," he said while they rounded the corner.

Jessica smiled and took the time to look at him, deciding that he was definitely more cute then strange.

"So," she said, "Is there anybody special in your life?"

Greg raised his eyebrows, a sparkle in his eyes and hope flaring up inside of him.

"Are you flirting with me, miss DeLany?"

"Maybe," she told him with a wink and he laughed.

"I hope you know that flirting can have consequences," he said while winking back at her, a brief image of Sara and Warrick flashing in his mind.

"That sounds like fun," she said before she disappeared in the locker room and he stayed behind with a huge grin on his face.

"Finally," he mumbled to himself. "Greggo scores..."

* * *

The End 


End file.
